Light's Failing, Hope's Rebirth
by Quatre Winner
Summary: After Voldemort attacks Yugi and Ryou, they get taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The only problem is that Voldemort has made the yamis human… Abandoned, being rewritten
1. 1 Ritual and Wizards

Quatre: Hey all! Okay, so this isn't the sequel to my other HP/YGO fic, but I thought this was an odd idea and had to write it. 

Yami Quatre: She's slightly insane. 

Yami Kenshin: I thought that was me. 

Quatre: No, you like to kill people. 

Yami Kenshin: Oh yeah. *pulls out katana and kills random dust bunnies*

All: *sweatdrop*

Quatre: Okay……

Yami Quatre: Quatre doesn't own anything except the plot (when it shows up)

Quatre: What she said. 

Light's Failing, Hope's Rebirth

Summary: After Voldermort attacks Yugi and Ryou, they get taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The only problem is that Voldermort has made the yamis human…

Yugi struggled to open his eyes. Whatever it was that had ambushed him, they evidently had powerful magic. 

//Yami!// he cried, not feeling the Egyptian Pharaoh within his mind. 

/Yugi! Do not worry! I'm here!/

"Awaken, child of light. You have a big day today."

Cold water splashed over him, and Yugi gasped in shock as the chill settled into his skin and didn't leave. It didn't help that he was outside, and it was a cool night. 

"What do you want?" he rasped. He finally managed to sit up, pushing his wet blonde bangs from his eyes.

"You will find out soon."

The Puzzle was gone. "What have you done with it?" Yugi demanded, climbing to his feet. He wasn't tied or anything. Apparently, his captor didn't expect him to escape. 

The short, mousy man in front of him said nothing. Yugi wrung out his shirt and took a good look around.

They were in Egypt. The Pyramids loomed over them, casting eerie shadows on the ground where two cauldrons simmered gently. 

"Yugi?" a voice whispered. Yugi whirled around to see Ryou shaking water out of his eyes. 

"So they got you too!" Yugi ran over and helped Ryou up. 

"Yeah."

"Children of light, step forward." The unearthly voice sent shivers down both teens' spines, and hesitantly, they walked over to the cauldrons.

"What do you want?" Yugi demanded. 

"You will help us take over the world," a cloaked figure replied. Again, the teens shivered, but they resisted the urge to step back. 

"Wormtail, give them wands."

The mousy man handed Ryou and Yugi long, slender branches of a night-black wood. 

"Now, repeat after me, if you value your lives."

Wormtail approached the cauldrons and dumped the Millennium Ring and Puzzle in, one per cauldron. 

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

Yugi and Ryou shot sidelong glances at each other. A question went unasked between them. Slowly, Ryou nodded, and they turned to the cauldrons.

"_Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!_"

Two small trickles of dust gradually floated in from the desert, each going into a separate cauldron. They hissed and turned a poisonous blue. 

Wormtail handed them a pair of deadly sharp knives. 

"Now, you two must offer some of your own flesh to the cauldrons. A finger will suffice."

Instead, Ryou expertly sliced a sheet of skin from his own arm. Yugi grimaced and clumsily followed suit, stanching the blood flow with his jacket. 

/What are they trying to do?/ Yugi wondered to himself. 

"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master!"

"_Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master!_"

Yugi and Ryou dropped the skin into the cauldrons. Noiselessly, it turned a brilliant scarlet. 

"And now, for the last part, turn around."

Yugi and Ryou did so. They were shocked to see a bound and gagged Malik on the ground. He hadn't been there before. 

"Take a small sample of his blood."

Looking sick, Yugi hung back. "I can't!"

"Do it or you will die!"

Yugi whimpered. Ryou patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. "It's all right," he whispered. 

"I don't think I can do it!"

"Don't think about it. We've got to get out of here alive."

Ryou then approached Malik and made a small cut on the Egyptian's left arm. Wormtail handed him a small flask. 

"Do you want to die, Yugi?" the cloaked figure threatened.

Whimpering again, Yugi walked over to Malik. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and pierced the boy's shoulder. He couldn't see where Ryou had made his cut.

"Now take it back to the cauldron and repeat after me: Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe!"

Yugi stumbled over to the cauldrons. Ryou steadied him on his feet. 

"_Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe!_"

The cauldrons (or rather, the liquid inside each [duh]) turned blindingly white. Yugi and Ryou shielded their eyes, stepping back. The cloaked figure cackled insanely. 

"Now, spirits of hope, be reborn!"

Wormtail looked on in fascination. Two figures rose from the cauldrons, stark naked except for the golden items hanging about their necks. 

Yugi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Yami…"

The Egyptian Pharaoh stumbled forward, falling directly into Yugi's arms. 

"What did you do?!" Yugi shouted, looking up at the cloaked figure. "Who are you?!"

"I am Lord Voldermort. I will rule this world. Now, your usefulness has ended." Voldermort raised a wand. "_Avada …_"

"_Stupefy!_"

The new voice echoed throughout the valley, and a bolt of red struck Voldermort in the chest. The dark wizard turned to face a tall, bearded man with hard eyes behind half-moon spectacles. 

"Dumbledore…"

"I never thought that you would stoop to using Muggles," the new arrival scolded. 

"I would never stoop that low. These children are not Muggles. In fact, shortly, they won't even be living." Voldermort pointed his wand straight at Dumbledore. 

Several men and women stepped from the shadows, firing off spells. With a guttural growl, Voldermort and Wormtail vanished.

Yugi stood, supporting Yami in his arms. "Who are you?" he demanded warily. 

"You have nothing to fear, child. I am not here to harm you." 

"I doubt that," an angry voice growled. Yugi turned to see an embarrassed and angry Bakura being supported by Ryou. 

"Yugi…they're human," Ryou whispered. 

Yugi's eyes widened. "But how-?"

"It is the nature of this ritual to restore the dead to life," Dumbledore said. "However, why would Voldermort want to revive these two?"

"Professor, take a look at these!" one of the women, a tall witch sporting square glasses and a severe bun, called. Dumbledore walked over, the hikaris and yamis right behind him.

"What is it, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked. 

Minerva pulled the Ring and Puzzle from the cauldrons. "These must have been what the spirits were stored in," Dumbledore guessed. 

"Those are ours!" Yugi said. In a flash, Bakura had snatched the Items from the witch and handed them to their respective owners. 

//Yugi…//

/Yami!/ Yugi cried happily. /I'm so glad you're all right!/

"Come with us, children. We'll protect you from Voldermort, and explain a few things on the way."

Dumbledore pointed his wand at the cauldrons. "Gather around," he ordered. Then, raising his voice, he called, "All who must return to England, come here. Everyone else, clean up before the Muggles arrive."

Minerva and three men gathered around the cauldrons. 

"_Portus_."

On cue, everyone touched the cauldrons. Yugi, Ryou, and Bakura followed suit, with Ryou helping Yugi support Yami.

There was a jerk behind their navels, then the ground fell away. 

"The man who abducted you is named Tom Riddle. He is the most powerful Dark Wizard this country has seen since Salazar Slytherin. He is also trying to take over the world."

"Sound familiar?" Yami asked dryly. He'd woken up a few minutes before. Both yamis had been given robes so as to preserve their dignity. 

Dumbledore stared curiously at them. "However, I fail to understand why he would wish to revive two Muggles. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"What're Muggles?" Yugi asked curiously. 

"Non-magic folk."

"Ah." Yugi scratched his head. "I don't think we'd qualify. You see, we do have magic."

Ryou nodded in agreement. 

Dumbledore looked mildly surprised. "I contacted the wizard school in Japan and they have informed me that you two are not students."

"We weren't invited," Ryou said. 

"I see."

"Our magic comes from these," Yugi explained, indicating his Puzzle. 

"However, logically, you must have magic to be able to use them," Yami put in. 

"Exactly." Dumbledore studied them thoughtfully, steepling his fingers and leaning back in his chair. 

"Yami and Bakura were spirits in the items," Yugi continued. "Yami was a pharaoh in Ancient Egypt, and Bakura was a thief."

"And a tomb robber," Bakura added proudly.

"That's just an extension of the 'thief' reference," Ryou pointed out. 

"We shared bodies with the children," Yami said. "I did so by consent. Bakura just took over and put Ryou in a sort of coma." He glared at Bakura.

"What?" Bakura demanded. "I was evil at the time."

"You still are," Yami muttered.

"What was that?!"

"You heard me."

A fight was eminent. Both spirits looked ready to summon the Shadow Realm and begin a duel right there. 

"Yami! Bakura! Calm down!" Yugi pleaded, stepping between the two. "This is no time to be fighting!"

"Yugi is right. Please calm down. We must figure out what we're going to do with you," Dumbledore said soothingly. 

Both spirits glared, grudgingly sitting back down. Bakura flopped down into his seat, his robes flying open and affording everyone a view they hadn't wanted to see.

Yugi turned away. "I think I'm scarred," he muttered. 

Ryou giggled. Yami rolled his eyes. Bakura flushed and glared. 

"It appears that Voldermort is targeting us," Yami said. "Therefore, we must go somewhere safe, where Voldermort can't find us."

"I concur," Dumbledore said. "How would the four of you like to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

They hadn't expected that. "Where is it?" Bakura asked.

"In England, just a short train ride away. We're in London, if you're curious." 

"I see. What about our friends in Japan?" 

"They can be brought to Hogwarts, if you wish."

Yugi shook his head. "Where we are, Voldermort is sure to attack. Is there any place else?"

"They can be brought to our Order's headquarters."

"If they'll be safe there, then it should be all right." 

"Very well." Dumbledore stood. "Your belongings have been brought from Japan. They are at the headquarters. Please follow me, and I'll take you there."

The four shot sidelong glances at each other before rising. Dumbledore led them to a fireplace.

"The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix are located at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place," Dumbledore explained. "You must toss this powder into the fire and say your destination clearly."

"Where are we now, if not at the Headquarters?" Ryou asked curiously.

"At my own home."

"Ah."

Dumbledore handed them small handfuls of a glittering powder. "Be careful not to lose anything," he cautioned, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

Bakura scowled. Tossing the powder into the fire, he said clearly, "Number Twelve Grimmauld Place." The flames turned green and the tomb robber vanished. 

Yugi looked nervous. "What if we don't make it?"

"Don't worry," Yami assured him. "It'll be all right."

//I hope.//

/I heard that! You're making me nervous!/

Yami chuckled. "Sorry, Yugi."

Ryou threw the powder into the fireplace. He too vanished. 

Yugi went next, and Yami last. Dumbledore looked rather thoughtful before he Apparated to HQ. 

Harry glared at the latest letter from Ron. Once again, there was no news. How could Voldermort return, and then there be no news?

Argh!!!

Harry growled and tossed the letter away. 

Only a month until school started. 

A month until he could get out of the hellhole he had to call home. 

Was it really worth it?

"Potter, dinner!"

With a calming sigh, Harry made his way to the kitchen. They were all still on Dudley's diet, and it was all he could do to keep himself from starving. 

Midway through the meal, there was a knock on the door. Of course, Harry was the one sent to get it.

"Professor!" 

Dumbledore smiled down at him. "It's nice to see you, Harry. I've come to take you from this place."

Harry grinned and couldn't suppress a joyous whoop. Running upstairs, he threw all of his stuff into his school trunk, then lugged it back downstairs. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Vernon demanded.

Dumbledore smiled gently at Vernon. "Forgive my rude intrusion, but I'm afraid that, for his own protection, he will have to come with me."

"All right. Don't come back until next holiday," Vernon said dismissively. "And you know the one I mean."

"All right."

"We'll go by Portkey," Dumbledore said. 

Yugi watched Yami chase Bakura around Order HQ. 

Ryou sighed. "What did Bakura do this time?"

"Shoved ice down Yami's shirt. Or was it his pants? I'm not really sure." Yugi shrugged. "Now Yami wants to kill him, as usual."

"And this time he can," Ryou laughed. 

They both started and looked at each other. 

"Yami!!!" they shouted, chasing the spirits. 

They didn't notice Dumbledore and Harry appear in the middle of the room. 

"Yugi!" Dumbledore called. 

No answer. Dumbledore sighed. 

"Bakura must have done something again. Ron! Hermione!"

Two faces appeared at the top of the stairs. "Harry!"

Harry grinned. "Nice to see you!" His face darkened. "Your letters sucked, by the way."

"Sorry," Hermione apologized. "Dumbledore didn't want any sensitive information accidentally intercepted."

Bakura ran back into the room, chased by a murderous Yami. 

"Omae o korosu!" Yami yelled angrily. 

Bakura, busy looking over his shoulder, forgot to look where he was going. He ran into Harry and both boys fell hard to the ground.

"Ow," was all Harry managed.

Yugi and Ryou ran into the room. "Yami! Stop!" Yugi yelled. 

Yami looked over at them and sighed. "Fine. Next time I will kill him, though." The pharaoh turned and stomped up the stairs past Ron and Hermione. 

Yugi helped Harry up. "Gomen," he apologized. "Bakura has a habit of playing pranks. Needless to say, he's endeared himself to Fred and George."

Harry was stunned. "And you are?"

"Yugi Muto, Yami Muto, Ryou Bakura, and Bakura Ryou," Dumbledore answered. "They are Japanese transfer students."

"Their names are backwards," Harry frowned. 

"I know. It is rather odd. They are twins, and their mother had a strange sense of humor," Dumbledore said idly. 

"How can you tell which is which?" Harry asked curiously. 

"Yugi is shorter than Yami. Do not ask why, for no one knows. Bakura is… well, you'll just see for yourself." He turned to Bakura. "Be good now."

"I'm not a child," Bakura said simply. Hermione rolled her eyes. 

"I must return to the school and prepare for the new year. Good day." 

With that, Dumbledore Apparated away.

"Gotta go," Yugi said and ran upstairs after Yami. 

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Baka."

Harry could tell that Hogwarts was in for a rough time with those four. 

"Bakura!!!!!!!!!!"

Bakura turned pale. "I think he found my little trick!"

"OMAE O KOROSU!"

Everyone sweatdropped, even Harry, who had no idea what it meant anyway.

"Run," Ryou suggested. 

"Run," Bakura agreed. "Can I go to Diagon Alley?"

"Don't think so."

"Aww." Bakura looked around and dashed through a door. 

"Can I go home yet?" Harry asked rhetorically, picking up his trunk and lugging it up the stairs. Yami charged down, nearly knocking him over. Yugi followed, begging Yami to not kill Bakura. Maybe only hurt him a bit?

Harry rolled his eyes. He couldn't help it.

Quatre: Good? Bad? Confusing?

Yami Quatre: How the hell did Yugi and Ryou go from Japan to Egypt?

Quatre: Later.

All: Read and Review!


	2. 2 Arrival, Sorting, and First Classes

Yami Quatre: Konnichiwa minna!

Quatre: *shoves Yami Quatre out of the way* I've decided to have a new contest. There is one anime cameo in here. Whoever gets the character and show right will get a small part!

Yami Kenshin: Stupid contest.

Quatre: We don't own anything. Now, enjoy!

One month and many, MANY pranks later, they were finally at Hogwarts. Yugi looked apprehensively up at the castle gliding towards them across the lake. 

/It's big!/

//We'd do well not to get lost.//

/I'll say! You'd starve before you ever got back to civilization!/

Yami chuckled. "I doubt that."

They docked in an underground cavern and headed up a flight of stairs. Yugi, Ryou, Yami, and Bakura followed the first years into a large entrance hall.

"All righ', kids, wait 'ere for Professor McGonagall. She'll be out in just a minute." Their giant escort vanished through a set of double doors, through which Yugi glimpsed what looked like the entire school population.

//Don't be nervous, Yugi.//

/What if we aren't put into the same house?/

//We should be. And if not…well, we can still talk, can't we?//

Yugi glared at his other half. "You're not helping."

"I kinda hope Bakura gets put into a separate house," Ryou said thoughtfully. 

Bakura pouted. "I'm hurt."

"I can see his point," Yami pointed out. 

"Wait a minute…Did you hear us?" Yugi demanded. 

Ryou flushed. "Only a bit. Sorry."

"We've noticed that when we're in close proximity, we can kind of hear what you guys say to each other," Bakura said, idly flicking lint from his robes. 

"And how long have you been eavesdropping?"

"Only since we went to HQ, I swear," Ryou assured them.

The same tall witch they'd seen in Egypt came out of the Great Hall. "First years, come with me. Transfers, wait out here until the first years have been Sorted."

They nodded and moved aside to allow the younger students to pass. 

Yami, to pass the time, decided to try something. Bakura, you're an ignorant baka.

Why thank you, Pharaoh.

Yami rolled his eyes. His theory, however, had been proven. 

Over their half-hour wait, they drifted to various parts of the hall. Yami was studying an ancient tapestry when McGonagall's voice boomed, "Transfer students, enter!"

Yugi climbed to his feet and pushed the double doors open. The four of them regrouped and entered the Great Hall, uncomfortably feeling the stares of every student in the school.

They stopped in front of the High Table, where the teachers sat. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said warmly. She indicated a very shabby hat. "When I call your name, put on the hat. Then go to the table it indicates."

"How do we know which is which?" Bakura demanded. 

She ignored him pulled out a small slip of parchment. "Bakura, Ryou!"

/That's me,/ Ryou hastily told Bakura. He jumped up onto the stage (the High Table was raised above the House Tables, mostly so the teachers could keep an eye on the students) and pulled the hat onto his head. 

///Well, well, well, what have we here?///

Ryou jumped out of his skin. Bakura scowled.

//Damn hat! Don't scare him like that!//

///Interesting. I've never sorted students quite like you. The four of you have a very special bond, yes?///

/H-hai,/ Ryou replied nervously. 

The hat chuckled. ///Relax, child. No need to be so tense! Now let's see… A very good mind… But there's also a good bit of courage…///

Bakura snorted. //Yeah, right.//

Ryou glared. 

///Ah, yes, I know where to put you!/// "GRYFFINDOR!"

Ryou jumped off the stage and handed the hat to Bakura, whom he knew was up next. He then raced over to where McGonagall pointed him and took a seat next to Harry.

"Congratulations!" Harry grinned, slapping him heartily (and painfully) on the back.

Bakura climbed up and pulled on the hat before McGonagall could call his name. She shrugged and watched him.

///So you are the one who shares Ryou's soul. I can't see why he'd put up with a ruffian like you.///

//Shut up if you value your life,// Bakura threatened. 

///I can't die.///

/Bakura!/ Ryou admonished. /It's only doing its job./

//It doesn't have to insult me like that.//

How is it insulting if it's telling the truth?

Bakura glowered at Yami. Shaddup, you. This is private.

Payback sucks, don't it?

All right, can we just get on with the sorting? Yugi asked impatiently. 

//All right.//

///Mr. Yami, if you don't mind, Sortings are generally private. Please refrain from listening in.///

I hate psychic hats.

///Now lets get down to business. I see that you truly care for your light, as the brother you never had, in a sense.///

If Bakura could have killed by thought alone, the hat would have died five times all ready.

/Is that true, Bakura?/

//I am so going to kill you later, hat.//

He could have sworn the hat smirked. 

///You do not wish to be where you could not protect him. That alone disqualifies you from Slytherin, where they only care for themselves. You are not really the brainy type, so Ravenclaw isn't quite right either… I'll say/// "GRYFFINDOR!"

Bakura ripped the hat from his head, handed it to McGonagall, and walked over to where Ryou was sitting. 

//Don't get any ideas,// Bakura thought to Ryou. //Call me onichan and watch what happens.//

Ryou smiled innocently. "I'd never do anything like that to you."

Harry looked questioningly at them before turning back to the Sorting.

"Muto, Yami!"

Yami walked up to McGonagall and placed the hat on his head. 

//Just get this over with,// he thought impatiently. 

///It is quite evident where you belong, Pharaoh./// "GRYFFINDOR!"

Yami handed the hat back to McGonagall and walked over to sit across from Ryou. 

"Muto, Yugi!"

Yugi jumped up onto the stage and eagerly pulled the hat on.

/Hi!/ he chirped happily. /Please tell me I get to go with Yami!/

The hat chuckled. ///Patience, little one. It is not easy to place a child where he belongs.///

/I'm fifteen!/

///You would do well in any of the houses aside from Slytherin. Let me see…let me see…/// 

The hat lapsed into silence. 

The hall was deathly quiet for five minutes while the hat decided. Yugi, bored, pulled out his Duel Monsters deck and began a mental duel with Yami. 

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Yugi was so startled he lost his cards. McGonagall gathered them with a wave of her wand.

///You have great hardships ahead of you, children of light. I wish you the best of luck.///

/Thanks./ Yugi pulled off the hat, handed it to McGonagall, grabbed his cards from her hands, and dashed over to the seat next to Yami.

"Welcome to Gryffindor," a ghost congratulated. "It is an unexpected pleasure, having so many new students in my house."

"Arigato," Yugi said sheepishly, accidentally switching back to Japanese. That was the language they'd been conversing in mentally, and when they were waiting in the hall, too. 

Dumbledore stood. The hall immediately fell silent. 

"Welcome back. As many of you know, Voldermort has returned. However, the Ministry of Magic is blatantly denying this fact. I advise all of you to stay cautious and disregard all you've read in the newspapers.

"We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, although I'm sure many of you know who he is already. Please welcome Professor Lupin back to Hogwarts!"

All the third years and up applauded, Harry, Ron, and Hermione especially. Yugi, Ryou, Bakura, and Yami, though having met the werewolf, didn't know all that much about him.

"Now, I ask that you please assist our new transfer students. They are relatively new to magic, their school only lasting for four years, so they may not be quite up to your level."

Relatively new to magic? Bakura fumed. We're older than this school!

"Take it easy," Ryou whispered.

"You take it easy," Bakura shot back.

"Now," Dumbledore proclaimed, "Let's eat!"

Immediately the tables filled with food. 

"Wow." Ryou's eyes widened at the sight of all the food. 

"Hey, Japanese kids, I think this may be for you." A student passed down a tray of a startling variety of Japanese dishes.

Yugi grinned. "Thanks!" He and Ryou took the plate (it was quite heavy) and dished some food onto their plates. 

"You mind if we try some?" Harry asked. 

"No, go ahead," Yugi answered. 

"Bakura, that's just rude!" Ryou scolded his darker half.

Bakura had been shoveling food into his mouth in a very Joey-like way. "Nani?" he asked obliviously. 

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Never mind."

"Arigato." He went back to shoveling. 

Harry looked uneasily at Bakura. "Isn't he going to get sick eating like that?"

Yami shrugged. "If he does it'll be his fault." 

Yugi pointed to Ron. "I think he has some competition." 

Ron was also shoveling his food. 

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. 

"What?" Ron asked innocently. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sweatdropped. 

"Scary," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Just scary."

Harry wholeheartedly agreed.

"Let's see," Yugi mused, looking over his schedule the next day at breakfast. "The classes are, what, an hour and a half?" 

Harry shook his head. "We have two classes in the mornings and afternoons all week. However, the ones on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are only an hour, unless the class is doubled. Tuesday and Thursday are an hour and a half."

"Tuesdays and Thursdays are generally your electives, though sometimes that's not entirely true," Hermione added. "Take your Divination, for example. It's the last class you have today. I pity you guys. Trelawney is a fake."

"Here, here," Ron added. 

"So we've got Transfiguration and Double Potions, lunch, then Charms and Divination?" Ryou asked. 

"And tomorrow we have Care of Magical Creatures, DADA, History of Magic, and Herbology?" Yugi added. 

"Why in Ra's name do we have a class at midnight?" Bakura growled. 

"Astronomy. When did you think we'd have it? When we couldn't see the stars?" Ron asked dismissively. 

Bakura glared but refrained form saying anything further. 

A bell rang, shaking the plates of everyone in the Great Hall. On cue, students began packing up their book and leaving. 

"Come on. We've got the same schedules. We'll show you where to go." Harry and Ron pulled the four Japanese students out of the Great Hall. After going back to the dorm for their books, the group made its way to Transfiguration. Hermione excused herself, as she had Arithmancy. 

"Transfers, please sit in the back and wait for me to talk to you," McGonagall said as the class filed in. Yugi and Ryou took the seats without complaint, Yami rolled his eyes, and Bakura glared at the teacher (only he knew why). 

"Today we'll start on self Transfiguration," McGonagall said. "There is a spell that allows a wizard to temporarily become his Animagus form. The length of the spell depends upon the wizard who casts it. We won't be trying the spell for a while. You will start on the theory. Please turn your books to page 583 and read."

Papers rustled as students opened books. Fortunately, Gryffindor took this class with Ravenclaw, so there was nothing to disturb the class. 

McGonagall walked to the back of the class and conjured a chair so she could sit at Yugi's table. 

"We will have to move fast. You take OWLs this year. We tried to get you an exemption, but Fudge wouldn't let us. Be prepared for mountains of homework for each class. 

"I would ask that you not talk to each other during classes, as this only splits your concentration." At this she glared at Yami and Yugi. The latter blushed and mumbled an apology. 

"If you need help, Hermione would gladly give it. Please try and work it out for yourselves, though."

At that, she handed them matches, instructed them on how to transform them into needles, and swept back to the front of the room. 

Harry and Ron shot curious glances to the back of the room. On Hermione's advice, they'd read the entire book over the summer ("Oh, joy") and so pretty much knew what the chapter contained. 

"They're a little strange, aren't they?" Ron scrawled on a spare bit of parchment. 

Harry nodded. "Remember right after I got to HQ?"

"Yeah, Bakura nearly killed you trying to run away from Yami."

They both stifled a giggle. 

"They only just got there, right?"

"Yeah, that morning."

"How many jokes did Bakura play?"

"About ten. Five on Yami."

Harry winced. "I'd hate to be him."

Ron nodded agreement. "Fred and George have officially adopted him into their group."

"I noticed." Harry winced. "Remember when they turned Yami's hair blue?"

A very memorable week that had been, what with Yami continuously trying to figure out exactly who had played the prank. His hair still looked a bit blue. 

Then McGonagall returned to the front of the room. They were forced to stop "talking" and pay attention.

"This year will be much harder than your previous years. I will expect nothing less than perfection on your OWLs." 

Harry glared at the back of Snape's head. Of course, like always, they had this class with the Slytherins, and he could see Draco shooting him a very pointed glare. 

"There will be no babying. I will expect full participation from every member of the class. Now, turn to page 782 and prepare the potion given there."

Everyone grumbled as they turned to the correct page and began heating up their cauldrons. Many Gryffindors had taken pity on the transfer students and had paired up with them. Now, hopefully, they would get a decent grade. 

…fst…Bak…wrm…

Harry started and looked up. Ron looked at him questioningly. 

"What is it?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing. Just thought I heard someone calling my name."

Ron shrugged and went back to chopping up an unpronounceable root. Harry carefully measured out a clear liquid and dumped it into their cauldron. 

"It's hopeless!" Yugi wailed, stirring his potion fruitlessly. It had turned a mud brown and whistled shrilly. Not the desired result. 

Use a bit of Shadow Magic on it! Bakura snapped crossly.

So that's how you got your potion so perfect, Ryou noted. I wondered about that.

Snape cleared away the useless potion with a wave of his wand. "Fifty points from Gryffindor for making such a racket."

"But it wasn't my fault!" Yugi protested.

"Quiet!" Hermione hissed. She tugged on his robes, trying to pull him back down into his seat. 

Yugi didn't back down. He'd acquired a stubborn streak from Yami and it wouldn't let him get punished unjustly.

Snape glared coolly at him, and inwardly he cringed. Outwardly, however, he kept his expression neutral. 

"You should know that we transfer students are up to their level," Yugi said, modulating his voice into a calm intonation. "Therefore, can't you give us a little leeway?"

"Yeah, why can't you do that, Professor?" Yami asked, annoyed at having failed where Bakura succeeded. 

"If you were not up to this level, you should not have been put into the fifth year. Another fifty points from Gryffindor."

Yami's eyes flashed dangerously. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he growled, his voice dangerously low. Yugi recognized that voice. It was the voice he used when especially pissed. 

Be careful, Yami, he warned the spirit.

Snape scowled. "Are you threatening me?"

"The weak of heart always try to act strong," Bakura said dismissively. "Yami has taken it upon himself to knock them down a notch, the arrogant fool."

The entire class watched now. 

"I suggest you change your mind about those points, Snape, and your treatment of us," Yami said. Yugi could vaguely make out a glowing Millennium Eye on his forehead. 

Snape gulped. Visibly. The sense of power radiating from the boy frightened him. 

"I will not change my mind. However, I will expect you three to work harder," he said shakily. 

"He has a stronger heart than we thought," Bakura commented in Japanese. 

Yami rolled his eyes. "He just does not wish to lose his power over the students."

"Still, it was rather amusing."

Ryou shook his head. "Of all of us, it was Yugi who was the first to cause trouble."

Yugi flushed. "Gomen."

"What are you guys saying?" Hermione demanded crossly.

They all exchanged glances and broke out laughing. 

The bell rang, and they all filed out. 

Charms was by far Yugi's best subject. He mastered the Levitation Charm in one try and was set to harder tasks. 

Bakura scowled at his feather. "Float, damn you!" he yelled at it. In Japanese, of course. 

Ryou stifled a grin. "Yelling won't help you any."

Yami smirked. "Not so tough now, are you?"

"I don't see you doing any better."

"Stop fighting you guys it isn't helping," Yugi muttered. He studied his book. "That can't be right."

"What?" Yami asked curiously.

"I think there's a typo."

Bakura craned his neck. "Let me see."

Yugi closed the book. "You get to work."

Harry glanced across the room to where the transfers were sitting. "I can't believe Snape didn't give those two detention."

"Yeah, if we would have pulled something like that Snape would have killed us!" Ron agreed. 

"Am I the only one who saw a glowing eye on Yami's forehead?" Harry wondered.

"Yeah." Hermione studied her book before waving her wand at her pincushion. It began shooting pins everywhere.

"Kuso!"

"Who the hell shot pins at us?"

"Omae o korosu!"

"Momentai!"

"I didn't know you cursed, Ryou."

"…"

The entire class looked over to where Ryou, Yami, and Bakura were pulling pins from various limbs. Yugi was giggling like mad. 

"Bakas," he laughed. "They're just pins."

Bakura jabbed him in the arm. 

"Hey! Now that was uncalled for!"

"Settle down, settle down," Professor Flitwick squeaked. 

Yugi gagged as they entered the Divination Tower. "Can't…Breathe…"

"You'll get used to it," Ron wheezed. 

They settled around two tables and waited for class to start. 

Harry flipped through his Divination book.

Snape…such…ass…

Watch…Bakura…

Sorry.

Harry shook his head. He must be hearing things. No one could communicate telepathically.

Professor Trelawney emerged from the shadows. "Welcome, everyone. This year we shall be focusing on tarot cards and dreams. I, however, decided to let you pick which comes first, as they will both be on your OWLs."

"Tarot!"

"Very well. Borrow a deck of cards from the shelf and deal them as indicated in your books, page 345."

They all did as they were told. 

Ron frowned down at his cards. "Mine makes no sense."

Bakura had dealt the cards his own way. We've got an interesting future ahead of us.

I hope not, Yugi groaned. I hate having everything happen to us.

Ryou studied his cards intently. Where do dragons figure into things?

Dragons are evil.

Did you say that, Yugi? Yami asked.

Huh? Yugi looked up from his cards. Sorry, I was trying to decipher my cards.

Yami looked around and noticed Harry glaring suspiciously at them. 

Yugi raised his hand. Professor Trelawney walked over to him. 

"Is there anything wrong, dear?"

"I can't figure out what my cards are trying to say."

Trelawney studied the cards. She inhaled sharply, evidently shocked. 

"My dear, this is an omen of death!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "There she goes again."

"It speaks of death and destruction sweeping across the land, and only a chosen few who can save it," Trelawney murmured.

"So who's going to die this year?" Ron asked in a bored tone.

"You if you don't shut up," Bakura said, shooting him a pointed glare.

"Come on, you can't believe what she says!"

"I can read what the cards say, thank you very much, and she happens to be telling the truth!" Bakura shot back.

"Then let's see what your cards say!"

Bakura pulled out his duel monsters deck. "Very well."

He dealt them quickly, then flipped them all over. 

"Great evil hovers over us," he said, pointing to a card. "It will attack under the influence of a plague star." He pointed to another card. "In this attack five guardians shall emerge." He frowned. "The guardians of what?"

"Just get on with it."

"Very well. These guardians will be crucial in the final battle. Apparently, it will be held at night and during the day at the same time."

Ron snorted. "Impossible."

"You'd be surprised." Bakura glared at the cards. "However, they don't say how it will turn out."

Trelawney looked impressed. "Quite a reading!"

"I try." Bakura picked up his cards and leaned back in his chair.

/A bit dramatic, don't you think?/

//What did you expect? "Oh, we're gonna have beef tomorrow at dinner?//

/No…//

//Then don't complain.//

Everyone worked in silence until the bell rang. 

They all made their way down to dinner. 

"That was a cool class!"

"Divination hurts god."

Everyone stared at a white-haired Slytherin seventh year with a patch over one eye. 

"What did you say?" Harry asked. 

"Magic hurts god."

Everyone inched away from him. 

"I hurt god."

Everyone sweatdropped. 

"Excuse me? Could you go somewhere else?" Ron asked timidly.

"Humanity hurts god," the Slytherin said agreeably, walking away. 

"He's nuts," Ron said, shaking his head.

"Insanity hurts god," the retreating Slytherin said.

"He's my kind of guy!" Bakura enthused. 

Laughing, they all entered the Great Hall.

Quatre: You know who the cameo is?

Yami Quatre: It's kinda obvious.

Quatre: Review!


	3. 3 Second Day and Explanations

Quatre: Sorry for the wait. I discovered yaoi, and I've kinda been obsessed with it. However, I do not plan to have any yaoi in this fic. Unless someone wants me to write a little side ficlet that has absolutely nothing to do with this fic. 

Yami Quatre: *snickers*

Yami Kenshin: What are you laughing at her for? You enjoyed them as much as she did.

Yami Quatre: *sweatdrop*

Quatre: Anyway, reader responses:

Kaoru, renangle, USA Tiger, and Kelsey: Correct! The cameo was Farfarello! I dunno if the other Schwarz will show up though. Nagi-kun! *drools*

BakaNeko-chan: Never had any intention of putting Joey-tachi in here. Except maybe in passing. 

yesim@-flamesofeternaldarkness: *blinks* They were in character? *beams* Glad you thought so! I was kinda worried about that. I dunno what I did with Marik. *looks under scattered notes* If I find him I might put him at Hogwarts. I'm still mad at Marik for hurting Yugi-tachi *sticks out tongue at deathglaring Marik*

Rogue-Silus: Hmmm…. I'll have to see about that. Which one? *thinks hard*

JK: I'll start Millennium Pendant when my inspiration comes back. I'm having a hard time developing Kurai's character. And thank you so VERY much for the fanart! It looks great! And I think I may rewrite Shadow Stargate. Not sure. Ame's here to stay though! Hmm….

Yami Quatre: Uh oh! Not her "I have an idea" hmm!

Tomgirl27: I may have some competition for the "weirdest story" award. BTW your Animorphs/YGO x-over is just… well, weird. In a good way. ^_^

Bakura's-Gurl: Sorry you don't like this. 

Gpeowyn: *blinks* Yami acting like…Heero? Gah! No! I came up with another x-over! RA HELP ME! *runs screaming*

Yami Quatre: *rolls eyes* 

Yami Kenshin: Although I can see why she said that. *points to specific moment in chappie one where Bakura was acting like a certain braided baka*

Yami Quatre: *blink* You're right. *glomps said braided baka*

Also thanks to: TheHikariWhoLovesBishis, Cat, Molly-chan the Anime/Game fan, Curtis Zidane Ziraa, Catalyst of Light, and shadowfrost-panther (no, this is not a continuation of my other HP/YGO fic) for reviewing! And anyone else who I may have forgotten!

Quatre: *recovering* There's another anime character. Find him, get in the fic. This time, include your gender at least so I can have some interaction between you guys!

Yami Quatre: We do not own anything!

Key:

… Public yami

… Public hikari/Harry

//…// Private yami/hikari

/…/ Private hikari/yami

Harry picked uneasily at his food.

Why was he hearing the new transfer students talking in his head?

Just for fun, he'd said "Dragons are evil" randomly, not really expecting them to hear. Apparently, they had. 

How was something like that possible?

Perhaps it had something to do with that weird eye he'd seen on Yami's forehead during Potions. 

"Harry? Are you all right?" Yugi asked him. 

Harry forced a grin. "I'm fine."

"It doesn't seem like it. What's up?" Ryou asked. 

"Nothing, really." 

"I've known Bakura long enough to know a lie when I hear one," Yami said. 

"Just leave the kid alone," Bakura yawned. 

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully. 

After leaving the Great Hall, they trudged up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. 

Harry yawned. "I'm going up to bed, guys. See you later."

"But you've got homework!"

Harry waved Hermione off and went to his room. Yugi, Yami, Ryou, and Bakura were all ready there. 

"Hey, Harry," Yugi greeted. 

Harry waved hi (he was in the middle of a yawn) and pulled some pajamas out of his trunk. 

"We'd like to talk to you, Harry." Bakura flipped over a card. Apparently, he and Yami were dueling. 

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"Sorry." Yugi dipped his quill into his ink and scrawled something on his Transfiguration homework. 

Harry sighed, pulling on his pajamas. "What do you want?' he asked, going to sit on Ryou's bed. The white-haired teen was busy reading his Potions book. 

"We'd like to know if you've been hearing anything strange," Yami said. He studied his hand and laid a few cards on the field. 

"Nothing too out of the ordinary, unless a crazy Slytherin counts," Harry replied. 

"Nothing about dragons?"

Harry tried hard to hide his guilty flush. Really hard. 

"N-no."

"I hate liars," Bakura said. "Especially when it's obvious that they're lying."

"I'm that bad, huh?" Harry quipped. 

"What did you hear?" Yami asked. 

Harry was starting to get a really bad feeling. "Um…Yugi said something about everything happening to you guys…And Ryou mentioned dragons…"

"And you said dragons are evil?"

Harry nodded. "Why the hell can you guys talk telepathically?"

"Why can you hear us?" Bakura countered.

"Like I'm supposed to know?"

"When did you first starting hearing us?" Yugi asked.

"In Potions, actually. Speaking of which, what was with the weird eye on your forehead, Yami?"

Yami dropped his cards. Bakura looked incredulously at Harry. Ryou had fallen asleep. Yugi looked confused.

"No ordinary person should be able to see the Millennium Eye," Yami mused. 

"Oh. That's why Joey and Tea could never see it?" Yugi asked. 

"Yes." (A/N I'm not entirely sure if that's true. Just pretend like it is.)

"Hang on. What are you guys talking about?" Harry demanded. 

Yugi, Bakura, and Yami started a rapid discussion in Japanese. Harry rolled his eyes and slid off Ryou's bed, going over to his own and climbing in.

"Whatever you guys decide, tell me in the morning."

Harry!

"Ah!" Harry rolled out of bed and hit the ground with a thump.

"Bakura!" he shouted crossly, glaring at the smirking white-haired teen. 

"You were snoring loudly enough to wake the dead!" Bakura said. "I just figured you needed a little boost."

Yugi and Ryou giggled. Yami rolled his eyes. 

"Leave him alone," Yami said. 

Bakura scowled. "You're no fun."

"Come on, we've got Care of Magical Creatures first," Ron said, obviously confused.

Don't tell him about your new ability, Yami advised him. 

Why not?

Because you weren't even supposed to know about it, Bakura said.

I'm telling Dumbledore, Harry said firmly. 

Bakura rolled his eyes. Whatever.

Dressing, Harry grabbed his books and followed who he decided to dub "the quartet", namely Yugi, Ryou, Bakura, and Yami. 

They grabbed a quick breakfast and made their way down to Hagrid's cabin. 

Once again, they had Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. This year, however, there were several years present instead of just the fifth years. Draco and his cronies were smirking off to the side, as usual. 

"Gather 'round, gather 'round," Hagrid yelled. 

Everyone obediently obeyed.

"Now, with yer OWLs this year, I'm goin' ter be movin' fast," Hagrid said. "Firs' of all, though, I'll need some volunteers for a special project."

Five Gryffindors (including Harry) raised their hands. 

"All righ', everyone else wai' 'ere." 

Hagrid led the five to out behind his cabin where, nestled on a large fire pit, five eggs lay. 

And strange eggs they were. One looked like pure gold. One was ice-blue. One was silver, one was red, and the very last was black. They were about the size of a human head.

"What're these?" Harry asked curiously. 

"Dunno. Found them a while ago. Now, I wan' you five t' take care o' these eggs today."

"All right."

Harry and his companions (Kaoru, Tiger [who was American ~_^], Renangle, and Kelsey) settled in to wait for their next class. 

Kaoru and Renangle were discussing Potions and Tiger and Kelsey were playing Duel Monsters. Harry contented himself with sitting off by himself and thinking. 

Yugi watched in fascination as Hagrid led out a young unicorn. 

"Kawaii!" Ryou whispered in awe.

"Sugoi," Bakura agreed.

The other students, used to random Japanese by now, assumed they said something good. 

"Step forward one at a time and pet 'im," Hagrid beamed. 

Yugi and Yami stepped forward first. The unicorn took one look at Yami and sank to its knees. The former pharaoh sweatdropped. 

Yugi laughed. "Looks like it knows royalty when it sees it!" he quipped. 

Bakura snorted. "Yeah, right. It's probably one of the dumber ones."

Yami glared, then reached down and gently rubbed the unicorn's nose.

"Please get up," he whispered in Egyptian. "You need not kneel."

The unicorn looked up at him with wide brown eyes. Awkwardly, it clambered to its feet…err…hooves. 

"Thank you."

Yugi reached out as well. "It's so pretty, I wish Tea could see this!"

"She is at HQ, is she not?"

"Yeah…" Yugi brightened. "I can write her!"

Yami chuckled. "Yes, you can."

Yugi raced away, pulled a roll of parchment from his bag, and started scribbling a letter. 

Hagrid began rambling on about the magical properties of unicorns. Yugi pulled out another roll of parchment and began jotting down notes in between writing his letter. Bakura was undoubtedly planning his next prank, but since he'd shielded his thoughts from the group no one could tell what he was up to. 

Yugi practically skipped into DADA. 

"I've finished my letter!" he said happily. 

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Why are you always hyper?"

Yugi stuck his tongue out at the tomb robber. Ryou laughed. Yami glared at Bakura, daring him to try something. Harry felt very much left out as they took their seats.

Hermione had Ancient Runes and therefore could not attend DADA with them. Ron took a seat at the table with Harry and Ryou. Yami, Yugi, and Bakura (in that order, thankfully) were right behind them.

"This year we will be practicing defensive charms," Professor Lupin told the class. "First, however, we will review everything you've learned. Please divide into pairs and practice disarming each other."

Yugi paired off with Harry, Bakura with Ron, Yami with a Ravenclaw, and Ryou with Professor Lupin. The quartet managed to disarm their respective opponents (Bakura disarming several others while he was at it). Lupin glared, deduced points from Bakura, and then ended up giving them back again when Yugi disarmed two people at once. 

At the end of class the quartet was feeling quite pleased. 

/I'm sure you were glad of an excuse to curse Yami,/ Ryou commented as the class made its way to the Great Hall for lunch. 

The dark spirit mentally smirked. //I enjoyed that class immensely.//

Ryou rolled his eyes. Even though the exchange had been private, the other item holders (or should I say holder? *wonders*) guessed what they'd been talking about. Yami scowled and Yugi giggled before excusing himself and running off, presumably to send his letter. 

So what did you guys decide last night? Harry asked as they sat down.

Something odd is going down. We've discussed Bakura's reading last night, when he mentioned five guardians, and we figured that it had something to do with it. All of the Millennium Items are accounted for, so unless someone managed to hide one that's out of the question, Yami mused. 

Millennium Items? Harry asked. 

Does he really need to know? Bakura asked. 

Since he's hanging around us, I think he should, Ryou said. Bakura glared at him. Just a thought, he added meekly, becoming very interested in his food.

If you don't tell me Hermione could probably find some info in the library, Harry mused. 

Probably not, Yugi said. 

Harry looked around and found that Yugi was not in the room. He was still in the Owlery. 

I agree. Since he can listen in on us anyway, we might as well tell him. 

Bakura was outvoted. He sulked, stuffing a forkful of rice into his mouth. 

Harry allowed himself to be led from the Great Hall (but not before he grabbed a sandwich to take with him). 

Harry stared at Yami, Yugi (who'd walked in about halfway through the explanation), and Ryou like he'd never seen them before. 

"So you…Wow. What happened to this Marik guy?" 

"We don't know. Marik's yami isn't a spirit like we were, so he couldn't be revived. We assume that Voldermort killed him, or perhaps Marik escaped." Yami's brow furrowed in thought. "If Marik was somehow convinced to join Voldermort that could spell disaster."

"At least Bakura is on our side this time," Ryou said. 

Yugi nodded in agreement. 

Harry looked at his watch. "Crap! We missed History of Magic!"

Yugi also looked at his watch. "We've got three minutes to get to Herbology!"

They hastily gathered their books and dashed out of the room, running like Yami Marik was after them. 

Yugi dropped his books on his bed, grabbed clothes at random, and headed straight for the shower. Harry couldn't really blame him; Herbology had been unusually messy. Most of the students had walked out covered from head to toe in grime. 

Bakura stripped off his filthy robe and rummaged through his trunk, muttering curses in at least ten different languages. Harry identified English, Latin, Arabian, Egyptian, Japanese, some French, and even Spanish, among others. Yami rolled his eyes and Ryou stifled a giggle. The other fifth-year Gryffindors were also finding changes of clothing. Luckily, the showers were magically enhanced so that they expanded for all that needed to use them. 

Hermione walked in just as Harry was pulling his shirt over his head. He flushed and pulled it back down again. "Knock first!" he yelled at her.

Hermione ignored him and instead eyed Bakura cautiously. Bakura continued cursing. "Is he all right?" she asked timidly. 

"Considering that a plant tried to eat him, yeah," Ryou said. "Apparently, it didn't like what Bakura was doing with his shears."

Harry stifled a giggle, afraid that the dark spirit would hurt him. "Come on, I think I feel something growing on me," Ron said, pushing into the showers. Yami followed him. Ryou shot a glance at Bakura and decided the shower was the safest place to be. Dean and Seamus followed suit, leaving Harry and Hermione with an irate Bakura. 

Harry pushed Hermione towards the door. "I'll see you at dinner." He didn't wait for a reply, picking up his clothes and going for a much-needed shower.

"Van-sama!"

He crumpled under the force of impact from something very heavy and furry. He twisted his head and looked up at…a cat-woman?

"Van-sama!" she exclaimed, licking his face. Harry grimaced and pulled away. 

"I think you've got the wrong person," he informed her. Her tail twitched.

"Van-sama!" she whined, then blinked. "Gomen nasai. You almost look like Van-sama, only without the wings." Her tail twitched and she turned around, racing down the corridor on all fours. "Van-sama!" she cried, vanishing around the corner. Harry heard a dull thud and suspected that some unfortunate individual had been bowled over. Shaking his head, he picked himself up off the floor, gathered his clothes, and went to shower. 

The Great Hall was noisier than usual. Ron and Bakura decided to have an eating contest which left everyone in the immediate area sweatdropping. Yami and Yugi were discussing their dueling decks (they were identical, naturally), Ryou was staring off into space, and Harry was busy getting notes from Hermione. 

All was going well until the overhead candles flickered and died. All conversation stopped for a moment, before a hoarse voice filled the silence. 

"_Five shall stand against the Dark Lord_

Two are light's children, 

Beacons in the coming darkness

Two are hope's spirits, 

Their ancient powers matching the Dark Lord's own 

The last is the child of darkness and light,

His strength in the shadows shielding him from harm

Five guardians shall they have, 

To show them the way

These guardians will have power to protect their charges

But alone they cannot save the land

The power of shadows have been released

All five will have this power

The Dark Lord, too, shall command it

Light shall fail

Hope will fade

Only with the fifth will they succeed

Temptations many face the fifth

His fate is, even now, uncertain

Only by overcoming darkness shall he succeed

When Light wanes, and Hope fades, 

All eyes shall turn to the fifth

His latent power shall then be released

Brightening Light

Strengthening Hope

And driving the darkness away"

All the students stared, wide-eyed, at the source of the voice: Professor Trelawney. She was rigid in her chair, staring blankly at something only she could see. 

Suddenly, she collapsed. Several teachers leaped to their feet immediately, rushing to her aid. Dumbledore stood. 

"All students are to return to their dorms. Please do not leave them until tomorrow morning."

The students stood and made their way towards the entrances.

Quatre: *evil grin*

Yami Quatre: You like theatrics, don't you?

Yami Kenshin: *licks knives in a very Farfarello-like way*

Others: *sweatdrop*

Quatre: What fanfics have you been reading?

Yami Kenshin: Just seeing what the guy likes about doing that. 

Quatre: *shakes head* Sorry I asked. Anyway, what exactly happened in the Great Hall? *evil grin* You'll just have to wait until next time. 

Yami Quatre: Don't you know that cliffies are evil?

Quatre: Hai!

Yami Quatre: *sighs* You are incorrigible. 

Quatre: Read and review, s'il vous plait! Grr…evil French classes!

All but Quatre: Ja ne!

Quatre: Au revoir!


	4. 4 Questions, Answers, and Parties

Quatre: No one guessed the cameo?!

Yami Quatre: *looks at reviews* Nope. 

Quatre: Aww… So no prize cameos in this chapter. 

Yami Quatre: But Farfarello makes another appearance! 

Quatre: Anyway, whoever gets this chapter's cameo gets the usual: a cameo!

Yami Quatre: *rolls eyes* We don't own anything but the plot. 

"What was that?"

"Looks like Trelawney finally went nuts."

"I dunno, it sounded like a prophecy to me!"

The common room buzzed with conversation. Ron listened to the surrounding students and snorted. "Trelawney's fake," he proclaimed.

"Not really," Harry said quietly. "Remember our third year?"

"Dumb luck," Ron said dismissively. 

Harry, come upstairs with us. 

Harry looked over to where the quartet was conversing quietly in Japanese. "I'm going upstairs," he told Hermione. Ron had gone over to play Duel Monsters with Fred and George. He made his way unnoticed to the stairwell and climbed to his room. 

He flopped down on the bed and lay still for a few minutes. Finally, though, he sat up. 

"Five guardians," he murmured. "There were five eggs outside Hagrid's house. You think…Nah. Maybe not."

He frowned. "But what if they are?"

The door opened, admitting the quartet. They all gathered on Harry's bed. 

"What do you want to talk about?" Harry asked. 

"We think this has something to do with Bakura's reading in Divination," Yami answered. "Both of them mentioned 'guardians.'"

"I see." Harry frowned. "You should know that Trelawney is often wrong."

"She mentioned 'hope's sprits' also," Ryou said. 

"She might have meant you guys," Yugi suggested. "I mean, you are spirits, after all. Or were."

" 'Ancient powers,'" Bakura murmured. "It could be referring to Shadow Magic."

"And reinforcing Yugi's theory," Harry added. 

"Who could this child of darkness and light be?" Yami wondered. 

"Someone connected to both good and dark magic," Harry suggested. 

"Makes sense," Bakura agreed. 

"Apparently, the five chosen and the guardians will appear during an attack under a 'plague star,'" Yugi said. "Just one question: What's a plague star?"

"I believe you would call them shooting stars today," Yami answered. 

"So when a meteor passes by we'll be attacked," Harry said. He jumped up. "We've got to tell Dumbledore!"

"We're not supposed to go out, though," Ryou pointed out. "How are we supposed to go? Besides, we don't even know where his office is!"

Harry jumped up and pulled Ryou to his feet. "One, I know where it is. Two, nobody has to see us." He dove into his trunk and pulled out the invisibility cloak. 

He threw it on and grinned at their reactions. 

"Come on! This can cover three of us. Who'll it be?"

A quick game of rock, paper, scissors later and Harry, Yami, and Ryou were creeping downstairs behind Yugi and an irate Bakura.

Half an hour later they'd stopped outside a stone gargoyle. 

"Pop tarts," Harry whispered. Ryou looked at him strangely. The gargoyle stepped aside.

"How do you know the password?" Ryou asked him as they climbed the stairs.

"Dumbledore told me. I've had to go see him every year, so he figured I might as well know it."

They stopped outside a door at the top of the stairs. Harry pulled the cloak off them and knocked. 

"Come in," Dumbledore called. 

Harry pushed open the door and entered along with Yami and Ryou.

"Harry! What a pleasant surprise!" Dumbledore set his quill down. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We've got a theory about Professor Trelawney's prophecy," Harry explained. He relayed his and the quartet's thoughts to the headmaster.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers and listened attentively. "An excellent theory. I shall have to ask the astronomy professor when the next shooting star is."

"There's something else," Harry said. "I've been able to talk to Yugi and Yami through their special link. The same with Ryou and Bakura."

"And the four of us have discovered that our links have extended to each other as well," Yami said. "Before, only Yugi could hear my thoughts, and vice versa. Now Ryou and Bakura, as well as Harry, have been able to. It is unusual."

Dumbledore frowned. "I don't understand how Harry would be able to. He is not connected with the Millennium Items."

His destiny may be, though, Bakura mused. Yami relayed the thought. 

"I shall have to give it some thought. Until then, return to the dormitory."

The three nodded and pulled the cloak back over themselves. They left Dumbledore deep in his thoughts. 

Dumbledore smiled. "Perhaps I shall have a talk with an old friend. He may have something to say on this."

At midnight they trudged up to the Astronomy tower. The quartet was given some first year work to do while Harry, Ron, and Hermione began to document the changes in the position of the stars since the end of term the year before. 

"Where did you go, Harry? We were looking for you earlier," Ron said. "I got my butt kicked at Duel Monsters so I wanted to play chess."

Hermione giggled. "He played Yugi and lost miserably."

"He's known as the King of Games, you know," Dean told them. "He beat the creators of Duel Monsters and Dungeon Dice Monsters, and he's beat Seto Kaiba. He's the only person to have successfully summoned Exodia, too."

The entire class stared at Dean. Yugi blushed. Bakura smirked. Yami glowered at Bakura. Ryou was oblivious; he was enjoying his work. 

"Get back to work," the professor sighed. 

They did. 

Bakura peered through his telescope. "Ryou, would that qualify as a shooting star?" he asked suddenly. 

Ryou looked up. "Where?"

Bakura dragged Ryou over to his telescope. The light sighed and took a look. 

A few minutes of silence, then…

"Yup, that's a shooting star, all right."

The teacher walked over. "Where is this alleged shooting star?"

Ryou stepped back and allowed the teacher access to Bakura's telescope. The teacher stepped up and squinted into the eyepiece.

"That's definitely a shooting star. Good work, Bakura. Ten points to Gryffindor." 

Bakura simply went back to stargazing. The professor sweatdropped and turned back to teaching. 

"We've found a plague star. The Astronomy professor is working out when it will pass by."

Dumbledore steepled his fingers and gazed expectantly at the Egyptian man before him. 

"There is nothing for me to say on that. It is not what I am here for."

Dumbledore nodded. "Quite right, Shadi. I'm concerned about one of my students. It has come to my attention that Harry has fallen into favor with the Pharaoh and his light. Also, it appears that the ceremony Voldermort used to bring the spirits back to life has connected them somehow. This connection includes Harry."

Shadi frowned. "That should not have happened. While it was expected of the Item Holders to be drawn to one another, unless Harry has some connection with the Millennium Items, he should not have been included."

"Could Harry be an Item Holder, like Yugi and Ryou?"

Shadi shook his head. "No. All of the Items have chosen their Holders. Unless one dies, it is impossible."

The two men lapsed into silence. 

"Is there another item? One that has been forgotten over the millennia?" Dumbledore asked suddenly. 

"No."

Dumbledore frowned and pursed his lips in thought. 

"Unless…"

Dumbledore looked up at the Egyptian.

"There is a legend. It states that in a time of great need, another Item will be needed. I do not see how another Item can be created, however, not without one hundred human sacrifices and another Item holder to oversee it."

"One hundred…" Dumbledore said softly. 

"Any country in the world would notice one hundred people gone missing," Shadi said. 

"Besides, we have gone through many dark times and another Item has not emerged. I cannot explain Harry's connection to the Pharaoh, but it probably has nothing to do with an eighth Millennium Item."

"I see," Dumbledore said wearily. "Very well, Shadi. Thank you for your time."

The Egyptian stood. 

"Be cautious, Professor Dumbledore. Wherever the Pharaoh goes, trouble follows. Harry would do well to distance himself from the Item Holders lest he get injured or killed."

With those words, Shadi sunk into the floor and vanished. 

Dumbledore sighed. With a wave of his wand, his Pensieve floated out of its cupboard and onto his desk. 

"Where are you taking us?" Bakura demanded as Harry led them from the Great Hall out onto the grounds. 

"You guys need to learn to fly on brooms," Harry said. "I'm going to teach you!" 

"Are you allowed?" Ryou asked nervously. 

Harry shrugged. "The brooms are for public use. I'll use mine, you use the school brooms. Simple."

Yugi and Yami were happily conversing in Japanese. To Harry's great surprise, he was actually beginning to understand them. He'd quizzed Bakura about it. The tomb robber thought it was because of the mental link. 

They made it to the broom shed and out onto the Quidditch field without mishap. Harry began instructing them, and soon the five of them were happily zooming around the field. 

Well, four, anyway. Bakura stuck close to the ground, grumbling under his breath in Egyptian (which Harry was also beginning to understand). 

"What's wrong with him?" Harry wondered, stopping near Ryou. 

Ryou giggled. "Bakura's afraid of heights!"

They could feel the Tomb Robber's glare even from a distance. 

Yugi laughed. Yami just chuckled. 

"That explains why he never stole from the fifth floor of my palace."

Shaddup, Bakura muttered. Don't remind me.

I think it's cute! Yugi said. 

"I don't think he does," Harry commented. 

He was too right. 

Just wait until later, hikari, Bakura grumbled, landing in the stands and glaring at them. Everyone laughed. 

"Hey Harry!"

Harry looked down to see Fred and George Weasley leading the Gryffindor team onto the field.

"Hey Fred! Whatcha doing?"

"We're going to practice! Of course, we need a Keeper, but tryouts are in two weeks and I'm sure that one of us will be a fine practice Keeper," Fred called up. "What're you doing?"

"Teaching the transfers to fly," Harry replied. "They're doing pretty well, actually."

"Where's Bakura, then?" George asked.

Harry pointed. The twins looked, sniggered, then dropped the case of Quidditch balls and let them loose. 

"You guys might want to go sit down," Harry said. "With Quidditch you never know what's going to happen. I broke my arm in my second year, you know." He zoomed off, leaving Yugi, Ryou, and Yami to stare. 

"We might as well go do homework," Yami said. "We haven't got much else to do."

They agreed and went back to the Gryffindor common room. 

Harry dodged the cat-woman again (she kept insisting he was Van) and made his way down to the Great Hall. He was exhausted from practice. The twins were almost as bad as Wood. 

He stopped short when he saw Farfarello in the hallway. Everyone avoided the Slytherin if they could help it. 

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…"

Harry just shrugged and was about to move on when he heard another voice. 

"Leave me alone, Farfarello. I'm busy."

"Aww, is pretty blonde kitty too tired to play?"

"No, but I'm busy! Didn't Crawford tell you to leave me alone?"

"Pretty blonde Gryffindor kitty mean," Farfarello grumbled, kicking the floor. 

There was an exasperated sigh, and Harry saw a blonde boy's head poke out of a hidden alcove. 

"I'm not mean, I'm sensible. Aren't there some giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest?" 

Farfarello grinned before dancing away. Harry made his way slowly to the hidden alcove. 

"You know he's insane, right?"

The blonde looked up. "I believe the correct term is 'stark raving mad,' according to your friend Ron."

Harry grinned. "So why are you hiding?"

"Peeves likes to torment me. Something about having a cat breed name for a nickname."

That explained Farfarello's behavior. "I see. Well, have fun."

"I will. Later, Harry."

"Later."

Harry shook his head and continued on to the Great Hall. 

"Who is this kitty?" Bakura asked, an evil grin spreading across his face. 

Ryou paled. "Do NOT do anything to him!"

"Why not? It could be fun!"

Yami glared at the Tomb Robber. Bakura glared back but dropped the subject. Harry made a small note to warn Farfarello's friend about Bakura. 

Farfarello walked in just then, dragging a dead giant spider behind him. Ron looked sick. 

"Mr. Farfarello, what are you doing with that?" McGonagall snapped. 

Farfarello grinned. "Why, dinner, of course!"

Many students pushed their plates away. Ron clapped his hand to his mouth and looked very green. Hermione led him out of the hall, giving the giant spider a wide berth. 

All in all, the quartet was having a fine time in classes the first few weeks. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan officially adopted Bakura into their gang (mainly because Bakura was good at sneaking around). Filch was pissed because he never could find any evidence of who was behind all of the pranks (also Bakura's handiwork.).

It was quite common to see Yugi and Ryou in a corner working with Hermione on the homework. They were able to master spells within a few hours (or in some cases minutes) after learning them. Flitwick soon had them working with the class. 

Yami was also a good student, though he worked at a much slower pace. It was no surprise when he dropped his quill and pulled out his Duel Monsters deck. Students soon grew wary of dueling him, for he hardly ever lost. 

"I'm bored," Bakura complained, lounging around the common room and staring absently into the fire. 

"Do your homework," Ryou advised. He transfigured Hedwig into a hawk and back. The owl puffed up her feathers and glared at him. 

It was Halloween, and there was no class. Yugi and Ryou were practicing their Transfiguration homework, Yami and Ron were dueling (Ron was by then the only person who would challenge Yami, aside from Yugi), Harry was finishing up a History of Magic essay, and Hermione was in the library (where else?).

"Did you hear?" Fred and George asked excitedly, bursting into the common room. 

All eyes turned to them. 

"There's going to be a Halloween party tonight!" George exclaimed, grinning. "There're boxes of stuff in the Great Hall for costumes and such, and the best costume gets points for its house!"

Grins broke out across the room. Students dropped their books and darted for the portrait hole. 

"Are you going to participate?" Ryou asked Harry.

He shook his head. "I haven't the faintest idea as to what I should be."

"Yami should go as a pharaoh!" Yugi suggested. Yami stared at him. "What? Why not? It'll be fun!"

"What are you going as?" Harry asked him. 

"I dunno."

Harry grinned. 

"I just had a wicked idea," he said. 

All eyes turned to him as he hastily explained his idea. 

People were taking great care to avoid Fred and George Weasley. The snack table was going noticeably untouched. 

That didn't bother the twins, however. There were too busy having fun. 

"Oi, Bakura, where're the other transfers?!" they hollered at the just-arriving teen. 

"You'll see them shortly," Bakura said irritably. 

Fred studied the other intently. He was wearing robes of some kind, with golden armbands adorning his wrists and a golden ring displayed prominently around his neck. "What're you supposed to be?"

"An Egyptian thief."

George grinned. "It suits you."

Bakura threaded his way through the packed Great hall towards the refreshment stand. Fred caught his wrist. 

"Eh, you might want to stay away from those."

Bakura raised a questioning eyebrow. 

"Don't ask. Just trust us."

Bakura nodded and settled against the wall. 

George leaned forward and studied the ring around Bakura's neck intently. "Where'd you get that?"

"I've had it all year. I just never wear it."

"Why wear it now?" Fred wondered. 

Bakura didn't answer. 

"Where's Ron and Harry?" George asked. 

"With my friends. Like I said, you'll see them shortly."

Fred and George exchanged a look, shrugged, and went back to their favorite pastime: torturing Malfoy. 

The double doors banging open silenced everyone in the hall. Four people entered, dressed in fine robes that would rival anything the Malfoys ever wore. The style was unfamiliar, but the people wearing them weren't. 

"It's them! And Ron and Harry are with them too!" Fred whispered.

Indeed, the four were Ron, Harry, Yugi, and Ryou. What stood out the most, though, was the jewelry that adorned them. Harry had even forsaken his glasses for the night, probably wearing the Muggle contacts that Fred and George had gotten him to celebrate their first Quidditch win of the season. 

They filed slowly into the hall in pairs. The other students drew back, some beginning to whisper to each other. 

That was not the last of the surprises, however. After Ron, Harry, Yugi, and Ryou had entered and moved aside, a fifth figure entered, striding into the hall for all the world like a king into his throne room. 

Yami was, by far, the best dressed of the group. He was shirtless, aside from the chestplate swinging gently as he moved. There was a wristband glinting golden in the candlelight on his left arm, and an armband glittered around his right upper arm. The entire school was treated to the sight of well-toned abs, and they did not go unappreciated. He was wearing a pair of loose pants the color of sand, held up by a belt made of a flat golden chain. In his spiky hair lay a golden circlet with the eye of Ra on the front. A golden, inverted pyramid rested lightly against his chest, with a different Egyptian eye on the front. 

It wasn't so much the clothes as the way he carried himself that clued the twins in on what he was supposed to be. 

"Well I'll be," George said loudly, breaking the silence. "A real Egyptian Pharaoh!"

"All hail the Pharaoh Yami!" Fred cheered. 

"And his priests!" George added on an impulse. 

Bakura rolled his eyes and walked up to the pharaoh. "So, Yami, are you having fun?"

Yami glared at him. 

Dumbledore walked up. "I see that you have joined us, Pharaoh. Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, Professor," Yami answered. 

"Then I'm afraid you'll be left wanting. Our resident twins appear to have been at work again," Dumbledore said solemnly. 

Yami blinked. Yugi giggled. Ron snorted.

That broke the ice. Everyone laughed.

"Shall we let the party continue?" Dumbledore called, sweeping back over to the cluster of teachers.

Everyone got over the shock of Yami's grand entrance and soon went back to partying. 

Draco Malfoy stood in a group of his friends, glaring in the general direction of Yami and his "priests." Trust those filthy mudbloods to outdo him. He'd dressed as Death's angel, with moving wings and everything. 

He sauntered over to Yami. "How on earth did you manage to get all that gold?" he drawled. "You must have sold Potter's broom, because there's no way you could have afforded it all otherwise."

Yami glared back coolly. "It all belongs to me, thank you very much."

"Really now?" Draco stepped closer and peered at the jewelry. "You could have fooled me. This obviously falls outside your price range."

"They are his," Yugi piped up. "They were… heirlooms!"

"Yeah!" Harry said. "Dumbledore went with us to Gringotts earlier today. He watched us take everything out of his vault!"

Draco smirked. "Oh really? If he has so much of it, then he wouldn't mind this!" 

His hand shot out and grasped the puzzle. 

Just then, a loud crash rang out through the hall, and all eyes turned to the bloody, disheveled figure standing in the doorway.

Quatre: I seem to like cliffies WAY too much. 

Yami Quatre: I agree. Are you really that mean?

Quatre: The chapter is ten pages long! 

Yami Quatre: But having Yami dress as the pharaoh was… unexpected.

Quatre: But you liked it, didn't you?

Yami Quatre: Yeah…

Quatre: Anyway, reviews appreciated!

Yami Quatre: *spots dust bunnies* Whee! *goes and chases them with Yami Kenshin's katana*

Yami Kenshin: Hey! *chases Yami Quatre*

Quatre: *shakes head* what did I do to deserve this? *chases everyone*


	5. 5 Shooting Star Problems

Quatre: Sorry for the wait. Here's the fifth chapter.

Yami Quatre: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. The prize cameos for everyone that guessed who the cameo from chapter three was will probably show up in "When Gundams are Gifties," since we've no more need for OCs, so to speak.

Quatre: That's all for now. Don't forget to review!

The teen stumbled into the Great Hall, unable to stop himself from colliding with Yami. The former pharaoh caught him and stared down at the boy incredulously.

"Marik!" Yugi cried, scrambling forward. "Marik, are you all right?!" 

The tomb robber came forward and leaned down, peering into blank violet orbs. "Marik? Damn. He's in shock. We better take him to the hospital wing."

Yugi looked anxiously up at him. "Will he be all right?"

Bakura shrugged. "Who knows? I'm certainly not a healer."

Yami glared at him. 

All around them, students were whispering, most of them edging slowly away. The teachers were trying to force their way through the crowd, but to no avail. 

"Pharaoh…" Marik said faintly, struggling to lift his head. 

"Yes?" Yami whispered, leaning down so he could hear what Marik would say. 

"He's trying to take over me again," Marik said, closing his eyes and shuddering. 

"Who?" Yami asked, though he had a pretty good idea of what Marik was talking about. 

"My darkness…he's coming back…"

"How?" Bakura demanded. 

"Voldermort…He's…" 

Marik spasmed, his eyes clenching shut as pain wracked him. He coughed violently, blood spraying from his mouth onto Yami. The spirit made a small sound of disgust but made no move to push the boy away. Instead, he held him tighter, offering wordless comfort. 

"Take it easy," Yami whispered. "One word at a time. Now, what is Voldermort doing?"

"He's… Millennium Rod… my darkness…"

Bakura growled in frustration. Ryou shot him a reproachful look. 

Marik pulled in a shaky breath. 

"He's trying to use the Millennium Rod… bring him back… sacrifices…"

The blonde nearly doubled over as another coughing fit seized him. Yugi put a supporting hand on Marik's arm as the fit subsided. 

"My darkness…" Marik moaned. "Use the Rod… kill Harry Potter…"

Everyone who heard automatically looked at Harry. 

"Is Voldermort using the Rod to bring back Yami Marik?" Ryou asked quietly. 

Marik nodded. "He'll have… host body… going to kill me…"

"But you escaped," Bakura said. 

Another nod. 

"We'd better get him to the hospital wing," Yami said. "Bakura, help me carry him." 

The tomb robber grumbled but complied. Yugi and Ryou followed anxiously. 

"What should I do?" Harry called after them. 

"Tell Dumbledore what we heard," Yami said. 

They vanished through the doors. 

Harry scowled, sighed, and headed to where the professors were gathered, staring incredulously at him. 

The quartet made its way to the stone gargoyle that hid the entrance to Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster had asked to see them, presumably to find out the condition of their unexpected guest. Yami figured that there was more to this visit, however. 

"Pop tarts," Yugi said, failing to suppress his giggles. 

Bakura rolled his eyes. "It's not that funny."

That only made Yugi giggle more. 

They trooped up the stairs and found the door open and waiting for them. They filed in to see Harry and Dumbledore waiting. 

"Please have a seat, boys."

They did.

"How is our guest doing?" Dumbledore asked, steepling his fingers and gazing calmly at the quartet. 

"He's fine," Yugi said. "Madame Pomfrey says that he should be able to leave the hospital wing in a few weeks."

"So how did he end up in that condition?"

"Voldermort was using him," Yami said. "He wishes to wield the power of the Millennium Items himself. He probably tortured Marik in order to learn all he could about the Millennium Items."

Bakura snorted. "He didn't have to go that far. He could have just talked to me."

Everyone either glared or shook their heads, or both. 

"What? It's true."

"Back to the point," Dumbledore said. "Do you know if Voldermort succeeded in summoning Yami Marik?"

"I sincerely hope not," Yami replied. "After Battle City I sent him to the Graveyard. It is highly unlikely that he could have escaped, considering the other spells I placed on him."

"Hey, I escaped!" Bakura pointed out. 

"Remind me to send you again sometime."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, a promise."

The yamis glared at each other. 

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Please refrain from arguing for the moment. We must discuss what to do with Marik now that he is here."

"We can't throw him out!" Harry said at once. 

"I concur. But shall he stay here as a student or merely a guest?"

"A student," Yami decided. "He no longer has the Millennium Rod with him. He needs to be able to protect himself."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well. Once he recovers I shall take him to Diagon Alley for his school supplies. He is very behind. You four will have to aid him in his studies."

"All right. May we go now?" Yami asked. 

Dumbledore nodded. "And, just so you know, the other teachers and I have decided the winners of the costume contest."

" 'Winners'?" Yugi echoed. 

"Yes. You all had themed costumes, so it's only fair for all of you to get the credit."

Everyone grinned at him. "Thanks!"

"Now get back to the dormitory. If anyone asks, I was telling you that you won, which, after all, is the truth." Dumbledore smiled gently. 

"Good night, Professor." They stood and left. 

Ron pounced on Harry as soon as the boy entered the dormitory. He was still dressed up in his costume, though most of the jewelry had been set aside. 

"What exactly happened in there?" he demanded.

Harry gulped. "That boy was an old friend of Yami's and Yugi's," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "He ran into some dark wizards on his way over here. Apparently they wanted to have some fun. Marik only just got away."

Is that a complete lie? he wondered to no one in particular.

Ron frowned but accepted the answer. "So is he all right?" 

"Madame Pomfrey is healing him now." Harry rubbed at his eyes. "I'm going to take these contacts out. I'm still not used to them. 'Night."

"Okay. Goodnight."

Harry climbed the stairs to his room. He took the contacts out, put them in their case with cleaning solution, and put his glasses on so he could get ready for bed. 

As he dressed, he happened to glance out the window. He caught a glimpse of the shooting star as it slowly moved across the sky. It was larger than it had been at the beginning of the school year, meaning that it was closer to Earth. 

He wondered how close it would get. 

He shivered, remembering the prophecies. 

Looking at the shooting star gave him chills. He climbed into bed and closed the drapes, hiding the window from sight. 

He fell into a sleep plagued by dreams of battling dragons and serpents. 

The results of the costume contest were announced at breakfast the next morning. Harry smirked across the room at Draco, whose Dark Angel costume had only won him second place. Draco scowled at him and turned back to eating. 

Yugi, Ryou, and Yami were not at breakfast, most likely in the hospital wing to visit Marik and get more information. Bakura, however, was eating like he always did. Harry winced as he watched. 

"Suddenly I don't feel very hungry anymore," he muttered to no one even as he munched on a bagel. 

Owls began swooping down just then, marking the arrival of the post owls. Harry scanned the swarm, noting owls that belonged to his friends and making sure to ask them about their letters later. 

Yugi rushed into the hall and grabbed several plates, loading them with whatever food was nearby. 

"We're all waiting for Marik to wake up," he explained quickly. "Dumbledore has given us the day off."

"I'll take notes for you," Harry promised as Yugi ran out again. 

"Perhaps I should take notes for them," Hermione said. "You two are probably going to play that card game of yours again."

"That's Ron and Dean," Harry informed her. "I just collect the cards."

"Then why exactly did I hear you say yesterday, and I quote, 'I attack with the Dark Magician!'"

Harry sweatdropped. "Okay, so I'm beginning to learn to play. So sue me."

Hedwig landed in front of him just then, saving him from Hermione's retort. He took the note from Hedwig and watched her fly away. He caught sight of a red-tailed hawk in the window and stared at it. It stared back before dropping out of sight. 

"Since when do hawks deliver mail?" he asked Hermione as he opened the letter. 

"They don't. That hawk was probably wild."

Harry shook his head and skimmed over the letter. 

_Soon, Harry Potter. Soon. I will come for what's mine. You cannot hide him forever._

_Yami Marik_

Harry crumpled the letter angrily in his fist. "I'll be late for Transfiguration," he informed Hermione, standing and making his way out of the hall. 

He found Yami talking to Dumbledore inside the hospital wing. 

"I received a letter from Yami Marik," Harry told them, showing the battered paper to the headmaster. 

Dumbledore examined the letter carefully. "This is not good. It will take at least a week for Marik to heal. It will be difficult to protect him. I cannot afford to take a teacher from his or her duties for that long."

"We should send him somewhere safe, then," Yami decided. "Until he heals, he should stay at Order headquarters."

"Good idea. I'll have Madame Pomfrey arrange the transfer." Dumbledore touched his wand to the letter, causing it to burst into flame. "It would be best for you to burn these letters should you get anymore. There's no telling what spells he used on this one. You had better stay here and let Madame Pomfrey check you, just in case."

Harry nodded.

"Good day." Dumbledore left the hospital wing. 

Madame Pomfrey walked into the hospital wing just then, arms laden with many potions and salves. "Dumbledore spoke to me on his way out. I'll get to you in a minute, Mr. Potter. You just take a seat."

Harry nodded and stretched out on a bed. He watched Madame Pomfrey vanish behind a curtain, accompanied by a few Egyptian curses. 

"What're you trying to do, woman, kill me?!" There was a yelp and Harry could see someone trying to scramble away. 

"Don't worry," Yami said to Harry's startled look. "This happened last night, too. Madame Pomfrey knows how to sort him out"

"What's she doing to him?!" 

Bakura smirked. "For one thing, she had to get him undressed to see all of his wounds. So now he's nude. For another, she's been shoving potions down his throat all morning. And Marik's wary of that wand of hers, too. She's been trying to heal him all morning."

There was a small explosion from behind the curtains. Yami sighed and pulled out a card. 

"Be right back." He walked to the curtains and muttered something. 

"Damn you, Pharaoh!" came a scream.

Yami smirked. "I can't help but enjoy that."

"What did you do?" Harry asked. 

"I chained him to he bed so he can't move," Yami explained. "The magic will wear off eventually, but not before Madame Pomfrey is done with him."

Harry's confusion must have shown on his face, for Bakura said, "I thought we told you that our Items let us summon the magic of these cards."

"I'd forgotten. Sorry."

Madame Pomfrey emerged from behind the curtains. "That boy is impossible." She dropped her empty bottles in a sink. "Normally I'd punish students for using magic on each other, but in this circumstance I'll let it pass for now. Please refrain from it later."

Yami nodded. Madame Pomfrey turned to Harry. 

"This won't take long."

Harry nodded and suffered through the examination. 

"You're fine, Potter. I'll write you a note for class. Go straight there!"

Harry nodded and picked up his books. "I'll see you later, Yami, Bakura."

"Later," the spirits said as he walked out. 

Harry slid into his seat with only a few minutes to go before the class let out. Hermione turned a disapproving glare his way before handing him the notes she'd taken for not only him but the quartet. 

"Thanks," he whispered as Professor McGonagall loomed over him. 

"Well, Mr. Potter? Where were you for the duration of the class period?"

Harry handed her the note from Madame Pomfrey. McGonagall frowned down at him, pursed her lips, and nodded. "Very well. However, please do not let this happen again."

"It's not like I could help it," he muttered as she walked away.

"So what did that letter say?" Hermione asked as they left for Potions. 

Harry half considered telling Hermione the truth. Eventually he said, "It was nothing."

He didn't know why he wasn't telling her and Ron about everything that had happened. All he knew was that for the moment, it was better if no one else found out what was happening. 

Potions was hell. Apparently, Snape was in a bad mood and so was being even more of a bastard than usual. Harry couldn't figure out how he'd gotten his potion right while under the malicious scrutiny of the teacher. To top it all off, his scar began burning midway through the class.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Ron asked him as they climbed out of the dungeons. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine," Harry assured him. As if to prove him wrong, the pain in his scar flared for a second before returning to a dull burning.

"I think I'm going to take a walk outside. You know, get a bit of air. I'll meet you in the Great Hall later." Without waiting for an answer, he left them alone.  

It was nice outside, if a bit chilly. He shivered and pulled his cloak tighter about him. 

There weren't many students outside, most preferring to stay inside where it was warm. Harry walked over to the lake and took a seat, gazing mutely at the calm water, disturbed occasionally by the giant squid. 

A reflection caught his eye. It was the shooting star, close enough now to be visible, even during the daytime. Harry twisted his head so that he could look at the real thing. 

Without warning, there was an explosion. Harry spun around and saw a monster barrel out of the Forbidden Forest.

A very familiar monster. 

Harry dug into a pocket of his robes and pulled out his deck, flipping through the cards until he came to a certain one. 

"It can't be!"

The Hitostu-me Giant looked over at him, studying him, before lumbering over, swinging a club idly as it walked. 

Harry backed away slowly, the cards clutched in his hand. Students were running out of the castle to see what was going on. 

Another monster ran out of the forest. Harry recognized it; it was the Patrician of Darkness. The Patrician launched an attack at a group of students staring openmouthed at it. 

Harry ran from the Hitostu-me Giant. It easily caught up, and Harry was forced to roll away from its club. 

"Someone get the transfers!" he yelled at the knot of students that had formed. The Giant swung again. "Oh, bloody… _Accio Firebolt_!"

The broomstick dodged around students to reach him, and Harry swung on and upwards, out of the Giant's reach. 

He dodged a blast of magic from the Patrician and easily found the windows for the hospital wing. A Harpy's Brother was attacking it, but kept hitting a barrier of some sort. 

"_Stupefy_!" Harry shouted. The jet of red light only seemed to irritate the monster, but it was distracted enough to allow a blast of magic from inside the hospital. The monster disintegrated.

"Yugi! Yami!"  Harry yelled, flying up to the windows and peering in.

"We know, Harry," Yami said coolly. "Bakura is on his way down to help stop the monsters."

"But there could be more on the way!" Harry said. As he spoke, several more monsters pooped up and began blasting things. 

Yami sighed and turned his head so he could speak over his shoulder. "Dark Magician, protect them. Yugi, you stay here. You can summon another monster if the Dark Magician fails."

"Be careful, Yami!" Yugi called as Yami carefully climbed out the window and onto the back of Harry's broomstick.

They swooped down. A Harpy's Lady saw them and attacked. 

Harry lost his balance and fell. He hit the ground with a painful thud. 

/I'd be surprised if I didn't break anything,/ he thought, sitting up and checking himself over gingerly. 

A shadow fell over him, and he looked up to see the Patrician of darkness standing over him.

This was turning out to be a very bad day indeed.

Quatre: Yet another cliffie. Forgive me. However, this was the best place to stop.

Yami Quatre: She's in love with Cliffies.

Quatre: Hey!

Yami Kenshin: *shakes head* We don't have much to say in the way of author's notes, just thanks for the patience. Please enjoy.

All: Ja ne!


	6. Random Gundam Wing Interlude: Attack of ...

Quatre: Um…. Well, I wrote this last night after talking with my mom and thinking up a very Duo-like line. I wanted to use it, so… yeah. It's only a page of notebook paper, tweaked up a bit. I know this has nothing to do with HP or YGO, but I figured this would be funny. And I wanted some way to tell you that chapter five is indeed up so go read it!

Yami Quatre: Let the record show she wrote this, not me.

Quatre: *blows raspberry* Anyway, Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year!

Random Interlude: Attack of the frogs!

There was general panic in one for the many Winner Mansions. The cause of the panic? Frogs. Yes, frogs. They kept popping up out of the sinks and toilets at the most inopportune times, and several g-boys were on permanent frog-catching duty. 

Naturally, everyone thought Duo to be the one responsible. 

Duo backed against the wall as four very angry g-boys confronted him, one with a butterfly net with a frog or two in it.

"What do you guys want?" Duo asked nervously.

"You've gone too far this time, Maxwell," Wufei growled. 

"We can't let you get away with this one, Duo," Quatre said sweetly. 

Duo held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I swear I didn't do it, guys!"

"Why should we believe you?" Heero snapped. "Out of all of us, you are the most likely to do something like this."

Duo glared. "Despite popular belief, I am not completely insane."

Trowa raised an eyebrow at this. "Really?"

"Unlike _some_ people I know, _I_ have a sense of self-preservation," Duo shot back. 

Heero thrust the frogs at him. "Well? Where did these come from, then?"

"Hello! They came from the sinks and toilets. Have you checked the plumbing?"

Everyone blinked.

"I'll call the plumbers," Quatre said, darting off. Several frogs hopped by, and the four remaining g-boys sighed before chasing. 

A few days later…

"Heero was the one who drilled holes in the plumbing?!" Duo exclaimed.

Everyone looked over to where Heero was slowly edging out of the room. Several frogs stopped right behind him, and he ended up tripping. When he looked up, he found himself surrounded by frogs and g-boys. 

"Care to explain?" Quatre asked sweetly. 

"I lost something and I wanted it back," Heero answered shortly. 

"And you didn't tell us, why?" Duo asked. 

"I wasn't finished. It's not my fault there are frogs living under the house."

Everyone sighed. 

"You're paying to fix the pipes," Quatre informed Heero as Duo and Wufei dashed off to round up the frogs. 

"No, OZ is," Heero smirked. 

Duo and Wufei came running down the halls. "Run! It's a stampede!"

No one asked. 

"Heero," Quatre shrieked as they dashed just ahead of the wave of frogs, "Omae o korosu!" 

Quatre: That was fun.

Yami Quatre: That was bloody insane!

Quatre: Have you been watching Harry Potter again?

Yami Quatre: Yes. So?

Quatre: *sigh* Don't forget to read chapter five, and I'll get six up ASAP. 

Both: Ja ne!


	7. 6 Of Eggs and Dragons

Quatre: Forgive me for the delay. Now that I have my notes, however, see how fast this got written?

Yami Quatre: She wrote this in a day, mostly. And she wrote the bulk of it in a few hours last night, so if the chapter sounds strange, that's why. 

Quatre: *nods* I had fun writing this, too, but forgive me for any spelling mistakes or wrong translations of names (later in the chapter, you'll see).

Yami Quatre: I would like to congratulate Tomgirl27 on catching the very brief and inconsequential cameo for chapter 5. Give it up for Tobias! He appeared briefly as a random red-tailed hawk, and Tomgirl27 caught it! *applauds*

Quatre: The only thing I'd like to say is read and review!

Harry rolled as the Patrician attacked, managing to avoid the brunt of the blast, but still catching enough of it to send him flying. He hit the ground near Hagrid's hut. He jumped up and ducked through the door just as the Patrician attacked again. 

He slammed the door and levitated the large table in front of it. He peeked out the window in time to see the Patrician slam the Hitostu-me Giant's club into the wall. He jumped back as some large hams fell from the roof. 

/I'm going to get killed if I stay in here!/ 

Harry peered out the window and saw Gaea the Fierce Knight charge the Patrician. The Patrician turned to meet the threat. 

/This is probably the best chance I'm going to get!/

He dashed through the back door and hid behind the giant cauldron holding the odd eggs. He watched the Giant stumble around blindly, presumably looking for him. 

A grating sound caught his attention. 

/Is that… are the eggs hatching?!/

He peeked into the cauldron (Hagrid had set it up around Halloween to protect the eggs) and confirmed his guess. The eggs were wiggling around on their own, and the golden one had a crack in it. As he watched, the golden one split open, and a dragon tumbled out. 

Harry blinked. /That's a… no way!/

It was. 

The golden Blue Eyes White Dragon flapped its wings, letting the heat from the cauldron dry them out. It gazed up at Harry as it stretched lazily. 

\You are not the one I am to protect,/ it said evenly, standing up on its hind legs and letting its wings blow the air onto its body, drying it out.

Harry gaped. "You talked!"

It was the dragon's turn to blink. \You understood me. Interesting. However, I have no time for this. I must protect the pharaoh!/

"Is there something I can do to help?"

\Protect these eggs with your life. That is how you can help./

With that, the golden dragon flew away. 

The red egg toppled over, shattering. A Red Eyes Black Dragon fell to the iron surface of the cauldron, and it sat up, shaking its head to clear it. Harry used magic to clear the shells away, since it was too hot for him to reach into the cauldron proper. He then made his wand produce hot air and dried the dragon with it. 

\Thanks,/ it said cheerily. \I've got someone to go protect, but I'm sure I'll see you later!/

Harry watched the dragon fly away with a blank look on his face. /This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I'd better warn Yami and Bakura that company's coming./

Hey, yamis! There're two dragons heading your way, a golden one and a black one. Don't shoot them or whatever, they're friendly! At least, they didn't kill me.

Thank you for the heads up, Harry. Where are you? Yami asked.

I'm behind Hagrid's hut, and I seem to be safe for now.

Stay there, then. I will inform you when the battle is over.

Right.

Harry looked around the cauldron and was relieved to see that the Giant had decided to go somewhere else. The sound of another egg hatching caused him to turn his attention back to what was happening inside the cauldron.

This time, it was the light blue egg that had hatched. A normal Blue Eyes White Dragon was stretched out inside the cauldron, flicking its tail lazily, its wings twitching. Harry stared down at it. 

"Um… There is a battle going on outside. Isn't there someone you should be protecting?"

It blinked up at him before starting. \That's right! How could I have been so stupid! Thanks for telling me!/ It jumped to its feet and flew away too fast for Harry to do anything but stare.

There's another dragon heading your way, he reported tiredly, choosing not to think about the latest dragon. 

He turned back to the cauldron, but instead came face-to-face with a little kid. It blinked at him before hefting an ax. 

/Oh brother… It's the Little Swordsman of Aile./ 

He ducked the ax and ducked behind the cauldron, putting it between him and the petit Duel Monster. It pouted and tried to swing over it, getting burned instead. It sucked on the burnt finger and gazed searchingly at him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't get killed," Harry informed it. "It's your fault for swinging over a hot kettle, anyway."

It grinned and pointed. Harry turned around to find that the Hitostu-me Giant had found him again. It swung, and Harry dodged. The club (which it must have gotten back from the Patrician of Darkness) knocked over the cauldron instead. The eggs went flying. Harry pulled out his wand. 

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The club followed the cauldron. Harry, heartened buy this small success, tried another spell.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" 

This time, the spell bounced off the Giant, hitting the Swordsman instead. The Swordsman eeped and toppled over, cursing in what sounded like Ancient Egyptian. Harry caught a few words, and it wasn't pretty. 

The Giant picked Harry up, squeezing him so tightly he was afraid his head might just pop off from the pressure. He squirmed, trying to free his wand arm. 

/After all that, this is how it ends?!/

Yami, help! The Giant found me again!

Harry! Yami cried. I cannot come, but perhaps Bakura-

No go, Bakura said grimly. A Harpy's Brother carried me to the roof and I'm pinned.

Harry stared down into the Giant's soulless eyes as it slowly tightened its hold. It was becoming hard to breathe with each passing second, and there were dark spots dancing in front of his eyes as he gasped for breath.

Harry! Try and hold on, I'm coming! Ryou called desperately. I'm right across the field from you! Please don't pass out! 

There's a dragon attacking my window! Yugi said frantically. It looks like a Blue Eyes!

Let it through… Harry said weakly as the battle for consciousness drew to a close. His head slumped to his chest, and his hands, which had been clenched at his sides, went limp.

Then the world exploded back into focus as his head hit the ground. He groaned, rolling over and trying to push himself to his feet. 

/Why did it drop me?/ 

He looked up, trying to force his blurred eyes to focus. He realized that he had lost his glasses and looked around for them. A hand came into his vision holding them, and he put them on gratefully. The hand hauled him to his feet, and he found himself looking directly into Ryou Bakura's eyes. 

"That was close," the white-haired teen observed.

"You think?" Harry asked sarcastically. 

"I'll blame that on the concussion you're sure to have," Ryou said cheerfully. Harry leaned on him, searching for something that could have caused the Giant to drop him. 

He blinked, then rubbed his eyes. "Am I seeing things?"

"I don't think so," Ryou said quietly. 

There were two small dragons attacking the Giant. Harry recognized one of them as the one that had hatched only moments ago. The other one was what made Harry blink. 

At first glance, one could mistake it for a Red Eyes Black Dragon, but a closer examination revealed that this dragon had a more serpent-like body, and the armor was so black that light only gleamed dully off it. The dragon wove gracefully through the air, easily outflying the Red Eyes Black Dragon that was helping it in the attack against the Giant. 

Harry caught movement from the corner of his eye, and he turned his head in time to see a silver Red Eyes Black Dragon fly off in the direction of the main battle. He shook his head in confusion. 

/If it's not black, how can it be a Red Eyes _Black_ Dragon?/

Ryou seemed to know he was spacing out, for he tapped Harry lightly on the head with his wand. 

"Focus, Harry," he warned. "Come on, I'll get you back to the castle."

They turned and, with Harry leaning on Ryou, they made their way from behind Hagrid's house into the main fray. There were about ten enemy monsters and five friendly monsters, not counting the newly-hatched dragons. Yami was clearly visible, a shield keeping him safe, with his trusty Dark Magician by his side. The Dark Magician Girl was dancing through the fray, destroying an enemy Harpy's Brother as Harry watched. A quick glance upwards, and Harry could just make out a head of white hair on the roof closest to Gryffindor Tower. 

Ryou tugged gently on his arm, indicating that this wasn't the time to be dawdling. Harry let Ryou lead him through the fray. The hikari paused once or twice to summon a monster to help out the yamis, but other than that they made steady progress. 

Get everyone back inside! There're too many monsters! I'm going to have to summon Osirus!

Right! Ryou turned to the frightened onlookers hovering just outside the castle doors. "Get inside! There's a huge monster coming that you won't want to be here for!"

They weren't going to argue. Soon, the only humans left outside were Ryou, Harry, and Yami (Bakura had made it to one of the Gryffindor Tower windows.)

Get Harry to the Hospital Wing, I'll finish up out here, Yami instructed Ryou. 

Good luck, Ryou said before obeying. 

They made it to the second floor before Harry stopped at a window.

"Come on!" Ryou insisted, tugging at his arm.

"We should be helping Yami!" Harry said, leaning out the (open) window and looking for the pharaoh.

"He'll handle it, now let's get going!"

Harry didn't move, instead choosing to watch.

A vortex appeared above the field, casting an eerie purplish light over everything. The monsters on the field looked up in confusion as something began to emerge from the vortex.

Harry was sure he wasn't seeing things. 

The largest beast he had ever seen was slowly descending onto the field, flying in casual loops around itself as it emerged. A large dragon's head was at the front of the creature, and it sent its malevolent gaze to the now-cowering monsters on the ground. 

Two blurs streaked past the duo into the castle, shrieking indignantly at the god-beast. They settled down on the windowsill to finish watching Osirus emerging. 

"Wow," Harry said weakly. Needless to say, he was impressed. 

"Can we go now?" Ryou asked impatiently. 

Harry nodded.

"You don't like Osirus?" he asked as they continued down the corridor. The two dragons (the Red Eyes Black Dragon and the odd serpent dragon) followed at a leisurely pace. 

"Yugi summoned it during our finals duel at Battle City," Ryou explained. "Or, more accurately, Bakura was the one dueling. It attacked me, and I got hurt."

An explosion outside punctuated his statement. 

All clear, Yami reported. All of the monsters were either destroyed or had the brains to run away. On another note, why is there a golden dragon following me everywhere?

We don't know. Meet us in the hospital wing, Ryou said. 

On my way.

What, doesn't anybody care about me? Bakura muttered.

There were several weak chuckles in response.

They all regrouped in the hospital wing. Harry lay down on a bed gratefully. The serpent dragon curled around his arm, its head resting on his shoulder. Harry didn't protest; in fact, he felt himself dozing off…

"Ouch!" he complained.

The dragon had bitten him.

\You should not sleep. Your head has been hurt and you may not wake up,/ it warned.

He glared half-heartedly at it before sighing and pulling himself into a sitting position. His ribs ached, his abdomen felt like it wasn't there, and his head was exploding. 

Madame Pomfrey walked into the room just then, supporting a very battered-looking Malik. "That Yami Marik person broke in here and tried to kill my patient! It is quite fortunate indeed that Mr. Mutou was in here with that Dark Magician, or else Marik might have succeeded!"

"Put me down, woman, I don't need help!" Malik snapped angrily. 

"Don't take that tone of voice with me, young man. I know what's best for you, and being snappish is not it!" She deposited him on a bed. "Now stay there, and if you get up I'll turn your clothes into dust!"

Malik eeped and shut up. Madame Pomfrey turned to Harry. 

"Oh my lord, what happened to you?" she exclaimed. 

"A Hitotsu-me Giant," he informed her, leaning gingerly against the headboard. "It seemed to think I was a banana or something and it couldn't figure out how to peel me."

Yugi broke into a fit of helpless laughter, partly because he was still a bit giddy from the battle and the adrenaline in his system hadn't dissipated and partly because Harry had been dead serious when he said it. Ryou chuckled, Bakura shot him a thumbs-up, and Yami just sighed. 

"Could we please get serious here?" Madame Pomfrey requested. "Now, what hurts the most, dear?"

"No preference," Harry said. "It's all the same. My head's exploding, my guts are somewhere by Hagrid's hut, and I wish Lockhart would remove my ribs so I couldn't feel him."

Ryou turned to Yami, an eyebrow raised, and mouthed 'Lockhart?'

Yami shrugged, indicating he didn't know.

"Oh dear. Stay right there, and don't fall asleep1 I'll be back with some potions to make you feel better." She left the room, ignoring the five dragons draped on various things.

Indeed, the very same dragons that Harry had watched hatch had paired up with the quartet. The golden Blue Eyes rested on Yami's knee while the pharaoh sat on a bed, his arms crossed and appearing lost in thought. The normal Blue Eyes was curled up in Yugi's arms and apparently asleep. Yugi was sitting next to his darker half, absently stroking the dragon, also looking lost in thought. He and Yami were probably talking, Harry decided as he watched. 

The silver Red Eyes was laying draped over Bakura's shoulders. The Tomb Robber studied his new companion with interest from his seat in the chair next to Malik's bed. The normal Red Eyes was sitting on Ryou's head, of all places, preventing the teen from getting a good look at it. Ryou had long since given up on trying to move it and had settled onto the floor leaning against Harry's bed. 

Harry noted some differences between the dragons and their card counterparts. They were only about armlength, and they were more streamlined than the Duel Monsters. They weren't serpent dragons like Harry's, but there was less of a bulky feel to them. 

Harry turned to examine the dragon that had paired with him. It was a bit longer than the others, about an arm and a half long (Harry's arm, anyway), and it had, instead of the red eyes of its lookalike, startlingly clear blue eyes that betrayed its intelligence.

Madame Pomfrey came in again, her arms full of potions. "Please get those dragons out of here! This is no place for wild, dangerous animals!"

Yugi's dragon raised its head blearily. \I don't want to leave!/ it complained.

\We belong with those who we were chosen to protect,/ Harry's put in. \We will not leave unless they instruct us to./

The quartet blinked. 

"Since when can dragons talk?" Ryou asked. "I'm pretty sure that Hagrid would have mentioned if they could."

"I'm afraid, children, that these are no ordinary dragons," Dumbledore said softly, seeming to appear from nowhere. Malik yelped, and dove under his bed, causing everyone else to laugh.

Madame Pomfrey set her bottles down on the table next to Harry's bed, pulled out three, and poured a small bit of each into separate cups. "Drink these before you talk to the Headmaster," she instructed Harry. Turning to the Dumbledore, she added, "Try to hurry this up, this boy has serious injuries."

"I will not be long," Dumbledore promised.

Harry drank the potions. His head cleared up, and the pain in his chest lessened enough for him to focus clearly.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" he asked.

"They are safe in my office, do not fear. It was all I could do to convince them to wait here. I assume that you do not wish to tell them about this?"

"I may have to," Harry sighed. "Not about the yamis, of course, but some things."

"It is fair. Please do not tell them much, it is safer for them."

Harry nodded. 

"Now, it appears that Bakura's prediction came true, and there was an attack under the influence of a plague star," Dumbledore continued. "Because of this, the 'five' mentioned in Professor Trelawney's prophecy have been revealed. I suspected all along that it was indeed Yugi, Yami, Ryou, and Bakura. The fifth, however, stumped me. I'd had a good long talk with Shadi and had decided that Harry was not the fifth mentioned. I was leaning towards Malik, actually. From what I've heard of him, it seems that he fits the description of 'a child of light and darkness.'"

"Thanks," Malik said dryly. He'd crawled from under the bed and now had his head resting on it, listening. "Hey, could you elaborate a little? I'm a bit behind on current events."

"Perhaps Yami will explain later," Dumbledore informed him.

"Oh, joy," Yami muttered under his breath. 

"So who is the fifth, professor?" Yugi asked curiously.

"It is Harry. Harry is the child of light and darkness."

Everyone turned to look at Harry. 

"I'm just as confused as you are," he shrugged, turning to Dumbledore. "How is this possible?"

"Well, you are a child of light, because your parent's were light wizards. Can you guess how you are also a child of darkness?"

Harry scowled and thought about it. His scar pulsed angrily, and it hit him.

"Voldermort transferred some of his power to me the night he tried to kill me," he said. "Since that was dark power, and I got some of his abilities as well, that's how I'm a child of darkness."

Dumbledore smiled. "Very good, Harry. Ten points to Gryffindor."

"Now that you've figured that out," Malik said dryly, "where do the dragons come in?"

"I believe that these dragons are the guardians mentioned in Professor Trelawney's prediction," Dumbledore explained. "It said that the guardians would be crucial to defeating the darkness."

"But Professor," Yugi objected, "the prophecy states that all five will command the power of shadows, and even Voldermort."

"Yeah, how can that be? I don't have a Millennium Item," Harry mused.

"I have yet to figure it out," Dumbledore said honestly. "Malik, do you wish to stay here and learn magic? I believe that it would help should Marik attack again."

Somehow, in all of the confusion, it had been silently agreed upon to call Light Marik Malik and Dark Marik, Marik. 

Malik chewed his bottom lip. "I suppose it would be best," he said finally. "I mean, without the Rod, I can't do anything, and I hate feeling helpless."

"Then you have a semester's worth of work to catch up on," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "I'll ask the Ministry for a Time-Turner, that way you'll be able to catch up faster."

"What's a Time-Turner?" Malik asked blankly. 

The dragons snickered. 

"Why don't we name our dragons?" Yugi suggested suddenly.

Everyone turned to him. He colored under the scrutiny but continued. 

"Since we have the dragons, we can't just call them 'Red Eyes One' and 'Blue Eyes Two.' If we name them, it would be much easier."

The dragons declared their approval in no uncertain terms. 

They sat around thinking up names for an hour, during which Madame Pomfrey healed Harry's ribs and managed to bring his abdomen back to where it should be.

"I can't think up a name!" Ryou complained.

Yami turned to his dragon. "How about Koganeiro? It means golden colored."

\It will suffice. It sounds nice, anyway./

Yugi sighed. "What do you think of Asagi?" he asked his dragon. "It means light blue."

\Sounds good to me!/

Ryou and Harry shared a look. 

"You take the color name," Harry decided. "I'll think of something else."

"Gin'iro," Bakura told his dragon. "If you don't like it, think up one yourself."

\It will suffice./

"Kuro," Ryou suggested to his dragon. "It means black."

The dragon seemed to shrug, and Ryou took it as a yes.

"Karasuhebi," Harry decided. "It means black snake."

"I don't want to know how he knows that," Yugi said, stroking Asagi. 

The dragons chuckled to themselves. 

\It is our job to protect you,/ Koganeiro said solemnly. 

\And we will do so, even if it costs us our lives,/ Kuro added.

Quatre: Malik was featured a bit more in this chapter. Forgive me if he is OOC, I don't know how he acts when he isn't acting evil. This is just my impression of him. 

Yami Quatre: Do you like the dragons? I do!

Quatre: I don't know what I'm going to do with them, though. 

Yami Quatre: You'll think of something.

Quatre: I'm sorry if I got the names of a few cards wring, I didn't have my deck handy to double-check. And I couldn't remember what Yugi's god card was called, so I think I might have found the Japanese name instead. Someone please tell me whether I'm right or wrong, and if it's wrong I'll change it in later chapters.

Yami Quatre: Don't worry!

Quatre: Well, I must be going. I hope you enjoyed and please review! 

Both: Ja ne!


	8. 7 Aftermath

Quatre: *sigh* This chapter isn't very good, so forgive me. This is basically the aftermath of the attacks. Next chapter should be better. 

Yami Quatre: We have some shonen-ai implications here; however, Quatre has said that if enough people object, she will not expand upon it.

Yami Kenshin: Basically, vote: Shonen-ai or no?

Quatre: And now, we continue with our regularly scheduled fic. 

Key:

"…" Normal speech

/…/ Hikari(private)/Harry thinking

//..// Yami (private)

\…/ Dragon

… Hikari (public)/Harry

… Yami (public)

Harry walked up to the stone gargoyle hiding Dumbledore's office nervously. Madame Pomefrey had healed the worst of his injuries, a broken rib and concussion among them, but she had left him with many scrapes and bruises. He rubbed against a rapidly purpling mark on his cheek and debated whether or not to go up.

Karasuhebi was still wound around his arm, her head resting gently on his shoulder. She watched his indecisiveness with amusement. 

\Why do you not wish to go up to see your friends?/ she asked after they'd stood there for five minutes.

"What am I supposed to tell them?" he wondered. "I don't think they should know about the Millennium Items, because that would just put them in danger. But how do I cover something like that up? They're my best friends, and I hate to lie to them." 

\Then do not lie. I have confidence in Professor Dumbledore's ability to protect them./

"But-"

\Trust Professor Dumbledore,/ the dragon advised. 

Harry sighed. "You're going to pester me until I tell them, aren't you?"

\He gets it!/ Karasuhebi grinned smugly. Harry scowled down at her.

"Pop tarts," he sighed. 

The gargoyle came to life and sprang aside. Harry climbed onto the moving staircase and let it carry them up. 

The door was already open when Harry reached the top. He knocked lightly to announce his presence before walking in. 

He found himself on the ground less than a second later, having been glomped by Hermione. Ron was seated in one of the large armchairs and was sending a sympathetic look his way. 

"I believe Harry would like to breathe sometime soon," Dumbledore said after a few minutes, amusement evident in his voice. 

Hermione blushed and let Harry go. He took a seat in one of the armchairs, and they all turned to Professor Dumbledore.

"I assume you heard what Malik told Yami about Yami Marik?" Dumbledore asked Ron. Ron nodded. "And you told Hermione?" Again, Ron nodded. "Very well. Harry, would you like to explain?"

Harry nodded and sighed. 

\Once you start talking, you won't stop,/ Karasuhebi said by way of encouragement.

Harry scowled down at the dragon. "Don't push your luck. Can we have privacy, please? Go find Yami or something."

Karasuhebi managed to scowl. \Fine./ She unwound herself from Harry's arm and flew out the window. 

Ron and Hermione blinked. "Where did that dragon come from?" Hermione asked. 

"I'll explain that in a bit." Harry sighed. He then proceeded to tell them everything, omitting the bit about the Millennium Items having any powers. So far as Ron and Hermione knew, the only purpose the Items served was to hold the spirits of Yami and Bakura. 

Ron and Hermione looked at him strangely. "So Yami really was a pharaoh?" Hermione asked skeptically. 

Harry nodded. "From what I've heard, anyway."

"And Yugi and Yami are really separate halves of a whole soul?" Ron put in. "The same with Ryou and Bakura and Malik and Marik?"

"That's right."

"So where does that dragon come in?" Hermione asked.

"They're the guardians that Professor Trelawney mentioned in her prophecy," Harry answered. 

"So that means the five of you have to save the world?" Ron asked. "Blimey, Harry!"

"How, though?" Hermione wondered. "The dragons are all fine and dandy, but what happens when Marik summons those monsters again? How will we fight against those? And how in the world did he manage to conjure monsters from that blasted card game, anyway?"

"Apparently, it's something the yamis can do," Dumbledore answered, sparing Harry. "I did not know of it myself until this afternoon. I have yet to question them about it."

"Only the yamis?" Hermione asked quizzically. "Today I thought I saw Ryou on the battlefield. There were a few monsters around him, too."

"Erm…"

Tell them that Bakura summoned them for me, I was just directing them, Ryou supplied quickly.

Are you eavesdropping? Harry asked.

Not me. Kuro. He's relating what you're saying back to me. The other dragons are around there, too.

Harry sighed and relayed Ryou's excuse to the others. 

\Fascinating though this might be, could you speed it up a bit?/ Gin'iro's "voice" asked dryly. \Some of us are hungry./

It appears we have another Bakura around here, Yami observed. In the words of the fictional character know as Terriermon: Momentai!

Harry couldn't help it. A fit of giggles overcame him, and he fell out of his chair. 

Are you all right, Harry? Yami asked in concern. 

Ron and Hermione were staring at him like he'd gone mad. 

Harry couldn't stop laughing for a good five minutes.

"What's so funny, Harry?" Ron asked. 

Harry shook his head. "Apparently, Yami watches _Digimon Tamers_."

Ron was confused. Hermione giggled a bit before becoming serious again.

"So you and those four have some sort of telepathic link to one another?" she asked. 

"Apparently." 

\Fooood…./

Harry sighed. "And the dragons, too." He turned to Dumbledore. "Gin'iro is practically begging to be fed. May we go now?"

Ron and Hermione checked their watches. "It's dinner already?!"

"You may go. Please keep this a secret from the other students, the quieter we can keep this, the better," Dumbledore advised. 

They nodded and left. 

"You go on ahead," Harry told Ron and Hermione. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "It's dinnertime, right? I'll meet you in the Great Hall."

Ron and Hermione looked doubtful but went ahead anyway.

Karasuhebi flew in the nearest window and landed on Harry's shoulder. \Why do you not go with your friends?/

"I need to write a letter," Harry replied, heading for Gryffindor Tower. 

\To who?/ 

"My godfather," Harry replied.

When he reached the dormitories, though, he found a letter waiting on his pillow.

__

Harry,

Dumbledore has already told me about what happened today. Yugi's friends are really worried. Monsters showed up here, too, but Jou's 'duel disk' enabled him to fight them off.

Someone's serious about getting rid of those four. I suggest you stay as far away from them as possible.

Seto has enclosed something for you, he hasn't told me what yet. He says that it'll be helpful should Marik attack again. 

I'll be in Hogsmeade for the next Hogsmeade weekend. We'll talk later.

Siirus

Harry put the letter on his bed table and picked up the previously unnoticed package lying on his bed. 

He opened it to find a Duel Disk, like the ones he'd seen on television. There was a note from Seto. 

__

This is a Duel Disk from last year's Battle City Tournament. Remus Lupin has put a spell on it so that it will work for you. Don't lose it or break it, it's only a loner until Voldermort and Marik are destroyed. Tell Yugi and Ryou to have theirs charmed also.

Seto Kaiba

Harry looked over the Duel Disk and turned it on. 

"Cool!"

He found his deck and placed it in the Duel Disk. "I'll have to tell Yugi about this."

His stomach growled just then, reminding him that he was hungry. 

"Don't say anything," he said to Karasuhebi, who'd opened her mouth to make a smart comment. 

\Aww…/

Harry went downstairs to the Great Hall to eat.

Yugi climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. "Ow, ow, ow," he muttered to no one in particular as he walked. There was a rather large bruise forming on his right side, from where a Harpy's Brother had attacked him before the Dark Magician could react. It stretched every time he moved, and was being generally irritating.

Asagi was quite sympathetic. \I wish I could help you, but I'm not a phoenix, after all./ 

"That was quite helpful," Yugi muttered, "But thank you for the sentiment."

He reached the Tower and headed straight for his room. He ignored Fred and George, who were trying to get him to go over there (probably to test one of their inventions.)

Bakura was already in the room, lying face down on his bed. Gin'iro was curled up beside him, watching with red eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. 

\Hello. Come here often?/ Gin'iro asked amiably. 

"Not right now," Yugi groaned, flopping onto his bed. He didn't even kick off his shoes.

\Please leave Yugi alone,/ Asagi said. \He is not feeling well./

\Oh. From the battle today?/

\Yes. I assume that is also why Bakura is asleep?/

\Right. "Don't tell Yami," he said before he fell asleep./

\I can see why,/ Asagi said

"Please stop talking," Yugi murmured. 

The two dragons shot him a glare but obliged. 

Yami walked in a few minutes later, Koganeiro perched precariously on his shoulder. 

"Yugi?"

The teen in question groaned. "Not now, Yami."

"Are you all right?" Yami asked, sitting down on the bed next to Yugi.

"No."

"What's wrong?"

Yugi didn't say anything, so Asagi took Yugi's shirt into his mouth and pulled it up. Yugi yelped and shot up, trying to push his shirt back down, but Yami already saw the bruise. It covered Yugi's entire right side and stretched halfway across his back, stopping about four inches from his spine. It was a miracle that nothing had been broken, as Madame Pomfrey had said. 

"When did this happen?" Yami asked quietly. "During the battle?"

Yugi nodded. "I didn't want you to worry though. That's why I didn't say anything."

"Yugi, we may not share the same body anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't care what happens to you."

"I know that!"

"Then next time something's bothering you, please tell me."

Yugi sighed. "All right."

"Now let's do something about that bruise. It's a rather nasty one."

"I noticed," was the dry reply. Yugi sat up and took off his shirt so that Yami could get a better look at the bruise. 

"Hm. I'll go get some ice. It might help."

"Don't you put raw meat on black eyes"

"No, I think that's just in the movies."

"Oh."

"I'll be right back. As soon as I find out where to get ice." Yami stood and made for the door. "Stay there."

"Where else would I go? Mars?" came the sarcastic reply. 

"You've been hanging around me too long," Bakura muttered. "Well done."

Yami shook his head and went downstairs. Perhaps one of the older students would conjure some ice for him. 

"Oi! Yami!"

He turned his head to see Fred and George Weasley waving cheerfully at him from the other side of the common room. 

"What do you want?" he called back, staying safely where he was.

"What happened earlier, with the monsters?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, what kind of magic was that?" George added.

"I have no idea. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must find some ice."

"Good luck. Try going to the kitchens, the house-elves might be able to help you."

Yami nodded. "And where are the kitchens?"

Fred and George told him, and he set off. 

He was back ten minutes later with a particularly talkative house-elf named Dobby carrying a sackfull of enchanted ice. 

"-and Harry Potter freed Dobby from nasty, nasty Malfoys!" Dobby continued as they climbed up the stairs to the boy's dorm. "Then, Harry Potter encountered Sirius Black! Harry Potter escaped, though, very very lucky."

They entered the fifth-year room just then, sparing Yami from the story of Harry's life. 

"Thank you for your assistance, Dobby," Yami said. "I can take it from here."

"All right, Yami… What is Yami's last name?"

"It doesn't matter."

Dobby shrugged. "It was very nice meeting Yami, and Dobby begs that he comes to visit Dobby again soon!" With a snap of his fingers, he was gone.

Yami stared at the spot where Dobby had been before shaking his head and turning his attention to Yugi.

"Are you awake?" the pharaoh asked softly. 

Yugi nodded and tried to sit up with a wince.

"Lay down," Yami said. "That bruise has to be incredibly stiff and painful by now."

"Yeah. It's painful."

Yami wrapped the ice (enchanted so that it wouldn't melt) around the bruise and sat on Yugi's bed. "Feel better?"

"My right side is numb. I guess that's the point, but it feels weird."

Yami chuckled. "One time, when I was a child, I was practicing sword fighting with my instructor. He hit me too hard by accident, on my leg, and I had a really bad bruise for at least two weeks. I couldn't walk for the first two days, and we didn't have any ice back then."

Yugi grinned. "You were worse off than I am, ne?"

"I suppose. I didn't really mind at the time, though. It spared me from having to do any work for a few days."

Yugi chuckled. "Lucky you. I doubt I'll have that kind of luxury."

Asagi and Koganeiro had moved to the top of Ron's canopy and were watching the two closely. 

\Yami likes Yugi,/ Asagi said privately to Koganeiro. 

\It is quite evident to everyone except them,/ Koganeiro answered. She stretched her wings. \Should we help them along?/

Asagi shook his head. \I don't think my charge feels the same way. We'll have to let them figure it out for themselves, and if they never do, it's their loss./

Koganeiro scowled but nodded. 

Unnoticed by them during the conversation, Yugi turned his head so that he was staring up at Yami. 

"You must be hungry. Why don't you go to the Great Hall?"

"I'm not very hungry."

Yugi stared up at Yami for a long time. Yami found an excuse to look somewhere else.

"Yami, is there something bugging you?" Yugi asked after about ten minutes.

Yami shook his head. "I'm just worried, that's all."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is that why you've been staring at my butt for the last ten minutes?"

Yami blushed. There was a faint snigger from the direction of Bakura's bed. 

"I'm sorry, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was staring. I was thinking about what we should do if Marik attacks again."

"Oh. We could summon monsters and use them as sentries," Yugi suggested. "And perhaps set a few traps around the castle perimeter."

"Very good idea, Yugi. I shall ask Dumbledore about it tomorrow. How does your side feel?"

Yugi blinked. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's good." Yami removed the ice and, not knowing what else to do with it, threw it out the window. "I hope no one was down there."

Yugi grinned. "I certainly hope not!" He tried sitting up. "What time is it?"

Yami checked his watch. "About seven."

Yugi yawned. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I fell asleep right now. Good night, Yami." He kicked off his shoes (finally) and curled up in the bed. Asagi flew down and curled up next to him. Yami sighed and went downstairs again.

Harry and Ryou were dueling in a corner of the common room. Malik had finally been released from the hospital wing and was sitting in an armchair eyeing the wizards warily. Hermione had her nose in a book, and Ron was watching Ryou and Harry.

Yami sat down next to Malik. "When are you going to be sorted?" he asked. 

Malik shrugged. "Tomorrow, I think. At breakfast. Then Dumbledore is going to take me to someplace called Diagon Alley to buy some books and stuff."

Yami didn't say anything. He just stared off into space, thinking, running different scenarios in his mind over and over. 

What would he do after such a defeat? Would he try again? Or we he plan a different attack, to keep them off balance?

He knew the answer without really thinking about it. 

Of course Marik wasn't stupid enough to try the same thing twice in a row. And if not Marik, then that dark wizard Voldermort. 

So if Marik wasn't going to try and attack again, then what would he do?

Yami nearly growled with frustration as his mind came up with blanks. 

He forced himself to calm down and looked around, trying to find something to keep himself occupied. A sign on the coomon room message board caught his eye,

__

Despite the events of today, the Hogsmeade weekend has not been cancelled. It will still be in one week. However, classes tomorrow have been cancelled. Have a nice day.

Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress, Hogwarts.

Yami was glad there were no classes tomorrow. He was tired, and he wasn't sure if he'd have gone anyway. 

Before he knew what was happening, he'd fallen asleep in the armchair.

__

Attack at Hogwarts!

Daily Prophet reporters located at Hogmeade Village reported yesterday that several monsters, from the Muggle card game Duel Monsters, appeared yesterday and proceeded to attack Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. According to Professor Albus Dumbledore, there were no casualties, and the attack was safely repelled. 

According to Dumbledore, he believes that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is the perpetrator of this attack, along with an unknown accomplice. Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge discounts this fact as an excuse to cover up Hogwarts' gameskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures' professor's inability to perform his duties.

"Of course He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named isn't back," Fudge declared at an impromptu press conference in the Ministry of Magic building. "It was probably Dumbledore trying out one of his experiments and they just went out of whack."

A Hogwarts transfer student replied to this, saying, "If that ******* can't see past his own nose, why the hell is he the most powerful man in the country?! Of course Dumbledore wouldn't try something like this! It was that bakayarou Voldermort and his sidekick Marik that summoned those blasted monsters. If it hadn't been for Dumbledore, students probably would have gotten killed!"

Fudge was livid upon hearing this and insisted that the boy be punished. Dumbledore refused, saying that opinions had a right to be spoken. 

Fudge insists that Dumbledore was behind the attacks, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has not returned. He claims that it is an attack on the minister himself, to undermine his authority.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead," he said firmly. "I find it far more likely that we have another enemy, this 'Marik' person, whoever he is."

Aurors are scouring the country, even as we speak, but no clues have emerged. Please keep reading for updates.

Quatre: Forgive me for the crappy quality. It is almost eleven o'clock at night and my eyes hurt. I'll probably do some editing tomorrow.

Yami Quatre: Brownie points to anyone who guesses which "transfer student" talked to the _Daily Prophet_!

Yami Kenshin: Now, I do believe you two should go to bed *makes shooing motions with his hands*

Quatre: No arguments from me. Read and review, please! And don't forget to vote!


	9. 8 Malik

Quatre: Ack! Gomen ne! Gomen ne! Please don't shoot me!

Yami Quatre: I'm sure they understand why you have not updated for a while.

Quatre: But they're going to shoot me!

Yami Kenshin: Let them. 

Ame: I wouldn't mind.

*Quatre glares at Ame. Ame whistles innocently and munches pizza.*

Quatre: Anyway, the reasons for the late update are listed in my bio, so go there to see why. This chapter is Malik-centric, as some people wanted it. 

Ame: No Tok'ra?

Quatre: No Tok'ra.

Ame: Poo. 

Quatre: Please read and enjoy! Reviews requested too.

Light's Failing, Hope's Rebirth 8

Harry walked into the Great Hall the next morning with Karasuhebi draped over his shoulders, still sleeping. He shot a sour look at the dragon as he headed for his customary spot at the Gryffindor table. Hermione was up, as was Yugi, but most everyone else was asleep, no doubt enjoying the fact that there wouldn't be any classes today. Harry was up for a reason, though and, sure enough, the Millennium Item Holders walked in a few minutes later. 

Why, pray tell, were they up when they could be sleeping?

Why, it was the day Malik was supposed to be Sorted, of course! 

Yugi settled onto the bench next to Harry, with Yami taking Harry's opposite side. Bakura sat in Ron's usual seat, and Ryou was sitting on the other side of Hermione. Their dragons were absent. 

"I guess they needed their beauty sleep, hm?" Harry joked. 

"Give them a break," Yugi said kindly. "They only hatched yesterday and they fought against those monsters with us. They deserve a little extra sleep."

Karasuhebi's tail twitched as if to accentuate Yugi's point. 

Their attention was drawn to the teacher's table, where Dumbledore had stood. The Hall immediately fell silent. 

"I'm sure you're all aware of the attack on our castle yesterday," he began. "You need not worry any longer. A friend of mine who has knowledge of the magic used in the attack has placed wards around the castle grounds and Hogsmeade. This will prevent any further incursions into our school, which is the reason why your scheduled trip next week will not be cancelled.

That is not the main point of my speech, however. You all recall our mysterious visitor of Halloween, correct?" Everyone in the hall nodded. "He is a student that Voldemort captured and has been torturing since the beginning of term. He escaped, evidently. He will be permitted to enroll here, and I encourage every student to help him catch up on all of the work he's missed."

He motioned to someone standing off to the side. Professor McGonagall carried a familiar stool with a familiar hat onto the dais and set it in its customary spot. 

"Ishtar, Malik," she called. 

The doors to the Hall opened again, and Malik walked in, cautiousness evident as he walked slowly down the aisle dividing the house tables. 

Harry took a good look at him as he walked. His left arm was bound up in bandages and held in a sling, and a bandage peeked out of the shoulder of the robes he was wearing (borrowed from Harry). There was a slight limp as he walked, but other than that, he seemed fine, his violet eyes narrowed in determination and he finally reached the dais and climbed up. 

Professor McGonagall lifted the Sorting Hat from the stool and motioned for Malik to sit. Malik did so, and the hat was placed on his head. 

It was an agonizing few minutes for the Item Holders. Yugi and Yami had filled Harry, Ron, and Hermione in on the history between the Item Holders and the Tomb Keeper (with the appropriate details changed/omitted and told to Harry through their link) and everyone was anxious to see what house Malik would be put in. Would the Hat hold Malik responsible for the crimes he committed while under the influence of Marik? Or would it judge the change in him? There was no possible way for anyone to know. 

Finally, the tear near the brim of the hat opened. Harry, Yugi, and their respective friends leaned closer in anticipation of the Hat's decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Several held breaths were released as Malik slid off the stool, let Professor McGonagall take back the Sorting Hat, and walked over to where Yugi and Ryou were waving madly amidst scattered applause from the other Houses.

"Wha? Who's that?" Fred or George asked as he and his twin sat down next to them, both rubbing their eyes sleepily. 

"Malik Ishtar, Fred and George Weasley," Bakura answered. "Malik, I believe that you would enjoy being in the company of these two. They are the school's most notorious troublemakers. We have a few pranks planned, actually, that I'm sure you would enjoy being a part of." The Tomb Robber's eyes glittered with mischief as he spoke. 

"Bakura!" Yami reproached him. "It would not be a good idea for Malik to get in trouble before he's even begun attending the school proper!"

Malik shrugged. "I'm probably going to flunk out," he said moodily. "I have four years to catch up on plus what you've covered this semester so far."

"Not necessarily," Yugi answered, slipping back into Japanese. Harry listened closely; he's heard the transfers talking enough that, because of their mind link, he'd become able to understand most, if not all, of what was being said. Despite that, his pronunciation was atrocious. "We've been using the Millennium Necklace to go back in time a few hours at a time in order to finish our homework. By doing that, it shouldn't be too hard to catch up, should it?"

Malik shrugged. "Maybe," he answered vaguely. He looked at his watch. "I can't talk anymore. I have ten minutes to eat breakfast and meet Dumbledore in the entrance hall so that we can go to someplace called Diagon Alley to get my supplies." He pulled several plates towards him and began munching. 

Harry turned to Yami. Something that Dumbledore had said before Sorting Malik had just suddenly hit him. He didn't want Hermione to know what he was asking, though. "Dumbledore said something about wards around the school," he asked hesitantly in Japanese. "Do you have anything to do with it?"

Yami raised an eyebrow but replied, "Yes. I approached Dumbledore yesterday after you had finished talking with him and he gave me permission to place the wards. They're various magic and traps cards that'll be activated when a monster walks over the place where the traps are set. There're wards around Hogsmeade also, so the village should be safe."

"I see."

"And keep practicing your Japanese," Yami said. "You're getting much better."

Harry flushed and turned back to his breakfast. Hermione had been talking to Ryou and Yugi, and he listened to what they were saying.

"- a good idea to use today to use today to catch up on our homework," Hermione was saying. "How about I meet you guys in the library in a half hour?"

"I scheduled a duel with someone from Slytherin house," Ryou said apologetically. "He tricked me into it, and now I have to go through with it. I'm sorry. I'll meet you guys there afterwards, though."

"I'll be there," Yugi said. "And try not to get into a Shadow Game, would you?" he asked Ryou in Japanese. "We've been lucky Yami or Bakura hasn't tried something with Snape yet," he murmured under his breath.

"Too late," Bakura said cheerfully, also in Japanese. "Yami and I cornered him during the summer. Haven't you wondered why he didn't come over for two solid weeks?"

"I'm sure the pink hair and bunny ears had something to do with it," Yami added, an unusual mischievous look on his face that scared everyone in the immediate vicinity. 

"My other half is turning into a prankster," Yugi muttered, pillowing his head in his hands. "Ra help us!"

"What was that?" Fred asked.

"Bakura somehow gave Snape pink hair and bunny ears," Harry translated. 

"Bakura gave Snape bunny ears?" George asked, blinking. Fred's head perked up from where it has been in danger of falling into his toast. "Do share."

Yami chuckled. Bakura smirked and began to tell the story. A completely fictitious story. Still, Fred had borrowed a piece of parchment from Hermione and was taking notes. 

"You'll get them in trouble!" Ryou protested in Japanese.

Bakura shrugged. "Not really," he said while he paused in his story so that Fred could catch up in his note taking. "They can pull it off this way, too, if I help them."

Ryou sighed. "I can't believe I'm going to ask this." He looked Bakura squarely in the eye. "Help them with this prank or I'm going to tell Yami some of your secrets."

Bakura paled. "You wouldn't!"

Ryou smirked. "Would you like to see how much you've rubbed off on me, really?"

If possible, Bakura paled further. He turned back to the twins and continued his story. 

Harry shook his head. Karasuhebi stirred on his shoulder and opened one bleary blue eye.

\What time is it?/

Harry checked his watch. "9:30 in the morning."

\Oh./ He unfurled his wings and took off. \You humans are too noisy. I'm going to sleep on the roof. Ja ne./

"And the dragon speaks Japanese," Harry commented to no one in particular. "I'm going back to the dorm. Karasuhebi has the right idea. I need more sleep before I can even tackle that mountain of homework. What's it up to again?"

"Let's see," Yugi said thoughtfully. "A Potions essay for Snape, a dream journal for Divination, practicing a spell for both Transfiguration and Charms plus an extra essay for Transfiguration, and an essay for History of Magic, not to mention the research we have to do for Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Oh, yeah, and that chapter we have to read for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Harry thought for a minute. "The Defense homework shouldn't be a problem. Snape's essay is the big thing, so it has the highest priority. I can do Transfiguration without any problem, and everything else I can borrow the notes from Hermione. I think I can afford to get some extra sleep." 

"But Harry!" Hermione protested. "You should really do your homework first!"

Harry waved her off with a yawn. "I'll catch you guys later," he said. "Don't wake me up unless Marik comes to kill me."

He got up and dodged a few Hufflepuffs as he made his way out of the hall. 

Malik walked up to Dumbledore's office nervously. None of the other Item Holders had been permitted to come with him to Diagon Alley, and his only companion was Dumbledore himself. 

Considering that Marik had attacked Hogwarts, the dark sprit would probably have no qualms about attacking a street full of innocent people.

…

Yeah. Malik had a right to worry. 

He reached the stone gargoyle guarding the passage and spoke the password: "Snickers." 

And he did just that as the gargoyle sprang aside. He ascended the moving staircase and knocked hesitantly at the heavy wooden door at the top.

"Come in," the headmaster's voice floated out. 

Malik stepped inside, closing the door a bit too hard behind him. Dumbledore was sitting by the fire and did not seem to react at all to the door's uncomfortably loud "click."

"Mr. Ishtar. How nice of you to join me. Are you ready to go?"

Malik nodded. "Any funny business and I'm gone faster than you can say 'Millennia.'"

"I hope it does not come to that," Dumbledore said kindly. He stood and waved Malik closer. "I regret that we will have to take Floo powder, although it is not one of the most comfortable ways to go about it."

Malik moved as directed as Dumbledore took a handful of Floo powder from a small vase on the mantle of the fireplace. 

"All you must do is throw the powder into the fire and state your destination clearly. In our case it will be Diagon Alley. Understand?"

Malik nodded and accepted a handful of the fine powder. Scattering it into the flames, he barely spared a raised eyebrow for the emerald color of the flames he stepped into. 

"Diagon Alley!"

One spin cycle later…

Dumbledore watched with concerned amusement as Malik leaned over, resting his free hand on his knees and trying _extremely_ hard not to throw up. 

"Hell of a joy ride," he gasped. 

Dumbledore smiled. "It gets better." 

Malik groaned but dutifully followed Dumbledore away from the fireplace into the crowd of people. 

"Strange as it may seem, each of you has a vault in Gringotts," Dumbledore explained as they made their way to the prominent marble building at one end of the street. "By each of you, I mean both halves as well. That is what will pay for your supplies."

Malik nodded. "Sounds cool."

They entered the marble building. Malik raised an eyebrow at the creatures running around. "Goblins run the bank?"

Dumbledore nodded. "We are expected. Follow me."

Malik dutifully followed until they came to the Ore Carts of Doom.

He stopped dead. "Yami told me about those," he declared. "You will not get me on those even if mou hitori no boku shows up to kill me."

"I hope that will not be necessary," Dumbledore murmured. "We cannot withdraw funds unless you are present, and without funds, you cannot buy your supplies."

Malik thought it over and cursed. "Fine, but I am puking on _you_."

Fortunately, Malik didn't puke on the ride, although he was very green throughout. 

"I am _never_ doing that again," Malik gasped as he staggered away from Gringotts as fast as his shaking legs would allow. 

"Let us take a moment to recover before continuing," Dumbledore said kindly, steering Malik towards an ice cream shop. 

Wizard ice cream wasn't that bad, Malik decided as he tackled a banana chocolate sundae with little Chocolate Frogs hopping around the melting mountains of ice cream. 

"Thanks for the ice cream," Malik said as he followed Dumbledore to the wand shop. 

"I will wait out here as you get your wand," Dumbledore said. 

Malik raised an eyebrow but entered the wand shop. Dumbledore drifted away, apparently interested in a few fairly odd birds that a witch was selling. 

It was a dark, dusty shop that reminded Malik of Isis' storerooms back home. Malik drew a faint amount of comfort from the feeling as he called, "Hello?"

"It is a bit late for one so old to be getting a wand," an old voice replied a few moments later. An old man came into view from between tall shelves filled to capacity with boxes that Malik assumed held wands. 

"Well, can I get a wand anyway?" Malik asked, attempting to be faintly polite. 

"Certainly. May I first know your name?" 

"Malik Ishtar."

"Very nice meeting you, Mr. Ishtar. I am Ollivander. Now, please hold out your wand arm."

Malik had no idea what that was, but held out his right arm anyway. A tape measure sprang to life and began to measure him with the type of energy that Malik had only seen in Jounouchi. Ollivander, meanwhile, vanished back into the shelves.

Malik entertained himself with thoughts of the other blonde duelist that always followed Yugi around like a little puppy.

Then he grew concerned as the tape measure attempted to get somewhere _extremely_ private.

"Go away," Malik growled with the deathglare gifted to him by Marik. 

The tape measure _eeped_ and duck behind the sales counter. 

Ollivander came into sight, both arms laden with boxes. "Come here," he directed, setting the boxes on the sales counter. 

Malik did so, casting about for the tape measure. It appeared to want to have nothing more to do with him, and he was _extremely_ grateful for that. 

"Now," Ollvander said, handing Malik a wand, "please wave that."

Malik shrugged and did so. Several shelves fell over as if an unseen wind and pushed them. He blinked and set the wand down again.

Ollivander handed him another. 

This time the lights blew up. 

Malik snickered. 

The glass window broke.

The counter split in two.

Several shelves ignited.

Ollivander grew several feet of sky blue hair and fox ears. 

Malik's hair turned an interesting shade of violet. 

Ollivander found himself in a dress. 

A rabbit-shaped hole appeared in the door. 

Malik, by this time, was laughing so hard that he had to wait a few minutes before waving another wand. 

This one shot out violet and gold sparks. 

"We have found your wand, it appears," Ollivander said, and was that a hint of relief in his voice? "Thirteen inches, birch with unicorn tail. A rather interesting wand. Excellent for defense."

Malik looked at the discarded wands as Ollivander wrapped his. 

"Do you remember Yugi Mutou?" he asked on a whim.

Ollivander paused. "Yes, and all of his friends. They were an interesting group, indeed."

"What wands did they get?" Malik asked eagerly.

Ollivander set Malik's wand down. "Now let me see… Mr. Yugi Mutou's wand was eleven inches, sakura with phoenix feather. Mr. Yami Mutou's was yew and phoenix, twelve inches. Mr. Bakura Ryou received ebony and dragon heartstring, thirteen inches. Mr. Ryou Bakura's was also sakura, but with unicorn hair, twelve inches."

"An interesting collection," Malik murmured. 

"They did the most collective damage of any group," Ollivander sighed. "It took hours before they all found their wands."

Malik grinned. "I wish I could have seen it."

"You did enough," Ollivander countered, fox ears flat against his skull. "Your wand shall be seven Galleons."

Malik fished inside his moneybag and produced the gold coins. Ollivander handed him his wand. 

"Thanks," Malik said. "And I'm really sorry about the ears."

"It is quite alright. Do you need someone to fix your hair?"

Malik shook his head. "Nah. Isis would say that my hair matched my eyes. Later!"

He practically skipped out of the store. Dumbledore was waiting on a nearby bench. 

"I do hope you left Mr. Ollivander in one piece," Dumbledore said when he caught sight of Malik's rather disheveled state and new hair color.

"He's all right, but I think his tape measure is scarred. Now where?"

"Books, then potions."

Malik shrugged and followed Dumbledore. 

His eyebrows shot up when he saw the number of books he needed to buy. 

"_Standard Book of Spells_, grades 1-5," he muttered. "A Divination book, a Potions book, an Herbology book, a defense book, and how many others?"

"Do not look so shocked," Dumbledore said. 

"Well, I am," Malik muttered. 

After the bookstore, they headed to the Potions shop, then to the robe shop. 

"Why do I have to wear robes again?" he muttered as he stood impatiently on a stool as a witch took all of measurements. 

"It is the school uniform," Dumbledore said patiently. 

Malik rolled his eyes and jumped down off the stool as the witch finished. 

Several mores stores later…

"What else do I need to buy? A kitchen sink?!" Malik asked irritably as he looked at his considerable pile of packages. 

"You have enough money to buy a pet if you'd like," Dumbledore said, looking at Malik's moneybag. "After that, we can pick up your robes and go back to school. You won't have much money for the Hogsmeade trip, though."

Malik rolled his eyes. "I'll borrow from Harry and pay him back later. I am _not_ ready to go on that hellish roller coaster again just yet."

"Understandable. What sort of pet would you like?"

"Well, a dragon is out of the question," Malik muttered as he entered the pet store. 

Several animals caught his eye. He wandered past cages full of red and green turtles, spotted cats, and other interesting things. 

Then his eyes fell upon something that made him look twice. 

A winged puppy lay on the ground next to the sales counter, tethered to a small post. It looked up at him with large, sad eyes and stood, wings shifting to lie across its back. 

Malik, despite what everyone else thought, was actually rather fond of puppies. He walked over and knelt down beside the puppy. It jumped into his lap and began to give his face a thorough licking. Malik laughed. 

The puppy was tan in color, with white paws and a brown muzzle. Its wings were feathered, white with strips of tan.

Malik's heart melted. 

He looked up at an amused Dumbledore. "It followed me home," he said. "Can I keep him?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I don't see why not, although if you plan to take him back into a Muggle community his wings will have to be charmed."

Malik looked. "It's a boy," he affirmed. 

Dumbledore chuckled and looked to the lady at the sales counter. 

"3 Galleons," she said. 

Malik handed the money over without an argument and took his new puppy's leash. 

"This is what you need to know to take care of him," the sales woman said, handing over a small book. "Free of charge."

Malik nodded. This was one book he was happy to get. 

His puppy flew ahead of him as he exited the store. Malik followed at a run, a wide grin across his face. 

Dumbledore was glad that Malik had found something to make him happy. 

"What is its name?" the headmaster asked as they drew closer to the robe shop. 

"Aeris," Malik responded. "First name that popped into my head."

They picked up Malik's robes and headed for the large fireplace that they'd come out of the first time. Aeris had settled onto the ground and was trotting along happily, Malik pushing cart that held all of his things and Dumbledore trailing along. 

Malik accepted the Floo powder that Dumbledore offered him and stepped up to the fire, Aeris safely in his arms. 

"Where do I say?" he asked Dumbledore. 

"Hogwarts, Gryffindor Tower," Dumbledore replied.

Malik did as he was told and stepped into the fire, clutching Aeris for dear life. 

He fell out of the Gryffindor fireplace, landing on a very rumpled pharaoh. 

Aeris barked and began attack Yami with his tongue. 

Yami yelped and tried to roll away. 

Bakura snickered. 

Malik jumped up and rescued Yami from Aeris. The pharaoh got a good look at what had attacked him and blinked. Aeris yipped and looked adorable.

Malik's supplies came next, followed by Dumbledore. 

"A bed has been set up for you in the fifth year dormitory," Dumbledore said. "I suggest you put everything away. Classes resume tomorrow, and you will not have much time for anything besides homework. Enjoy your break while it lasts." 

Dumbledore stepped back into the fire and vanished. 

Malik removed Aeris' leash and let the puppy do what he wanted while he gathered his supplies. 

"Looks like you had a profitable trip," Yami noted as he saw the number of books Malik had.

"Profitable my ass. A tape measure tried to molest me."

Bakura snickered. 

"And sorry for landing on you, pharaoh. Not intentional. Although it appears Aeris likes you."

"Aeris?" Yami asked. "I thought it was male."

"He is," Malik shrugged, taking a handful of books and trudging upstairs. 

Aeris followed. 

Bakura turned to Yami. "Why did you think the puppy was female?"

"Because Aeris is a female character in a video game."

"Ah."

They turned back to what they'd been doing before… Wizard's Chess.

Quatre: So this chapter had a humourous note to it.

Yami Quatre: That's not a bad thing, though. It was actually quite cute.

Quatre: "Mou hitori no boku' means "the other me". And sorry if I gave the Necklace/Tauk a power it doesn't have, but it does make sense to me. 

Yami Quatre: But only to you.

Quatre: Anyway, I don't know when the next update will be. I'm working on it, though, so please don't hurt me.

Ame: Yeah, don't hurt her. She's my pizza source.

Quatre: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll update as soon as I can!

All: Ja ne!


End file.
